


Natsu's Last Straw

by RavenStrider



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Adventure, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:54:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28613910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenStrider/pseuds/RavenStrider
Summary: There is only so much straw a camel can take before its back breaks, and people are much the same. Natsu can only take so much from his guild before he snaps. Will he put up with the lack of his guild's acceptance of him or will he leave in search of greater things? Rated T for language, violence, and minor suggestive themes.
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lisanna Strauss, Natsu Dragneel/Lisanna Strauss/Mirajane Strauss, Natsu Dragneel/Mirajane Strauss
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Natsu's Request

Everyone has limits. Those limits are in everything, whether you believe it or not, from the strength your magic can reach to how much alcohol you can drink before passing out. Fairy Tail has always strived to reach and surpass those limits, and, sometimes, they're successful. However, even when you pass a limit, there is always another one, and, eventually, you will simply not be able to go farther. Natsu Dragneel, fire dragon slayer of Fairy Tail, is about to experience this first hand.  
Natsu has been in Fairy Tail since he was a kid, and it seemed like forever ago that he joined, especially now. He had been through so much in only the last few years. Well, the last few years for him, the last decade or so for almost everyone else. First there was the whole incident with Lullaby that set off a whole mess of complications, from saving Erza's life from the Tower of Heaven, stopping all three pillars of the Ballam Alliance, barely surviving an attack by ACNOLOGIA HIMSELF, and after ALL OF THAT going to war with the strongest country in existence. And that's just some of the nonsense he's had to deal with. Yep, Natsu Dragneel lived through all of that. Not only that, but he personally eliminated Acnologia, with the help of his fellow slayers of course, and he saw to it that his brother, an immortal and the strongest wizard to ever live, was killed. Quite an impressive track record, eh?  
All that time he was in the thick of it, diving headfirst into anything so long as his family was safe. All that time he acted like a goofy idiot because it made people forget about their problems. That's not to say he was the sharpest knife in the drawer...he was still a bit dense...but he was still fairly smart, and he knew even more about people. He knew more about every single member of Fairy Tail than anyone else could ever dream of knowing, because he saw to it that every single one of them was smiling and happy as often as possible. But lately, he'd started asking himself why he was doing that. If you had asked him that same question any other time, he'd have an easy, straight-forward answer. 'Because they're my family, and there is nothing I wouldn't do for my family!' Sounds like something he'd say, right? But now? He wasn't so sure…  
"Happy, do you think I'm being ungrateful or something?" he questioned to his long-time companion, and pseudo-son Happy, the ever-cheerful flying blue cat that he raised as his own child along with his best and closest friend Lisanna.  
"I don't think so, Natsu," Happy replied, thoughtfully. Usually, Happy would just tease and laugh along with his best friend, never really being serious, but Natsu needed someone to talk to, and Happy was determined to not disappoint. "If I did everything you did and no one gave me fish, I'd be pretty upset too."  
"I guess so, but isn't what I've done what anyone would have done?"  
"I don't think so, Natsu. You were so determined not to let anyone get hurt in the war against Alvarez that you willingly flew alone at the strongest wizard to ever live to fight him alone. No one would do that."  
"But everyone told me that was a stupid thing to do…"  
"Aye, it was!" Happy replied. "But it was also brave. You were willing to sacrifice your own life so none of us had to bear the burden of fighting a war or risk death ourselves. And you would have done it, if I hadn't saved your sorry behind! If you died, who would bring me fish!"  
"I guess so…" Natsu sighed, rubbing his face furiously. "Alright! I'm finally gonna do it! Today, I'm going to ask Makarov to make me S-Class, and he's going to do it! And if he doesn't...well...we'll cross that bridge if we come to it!"  
"Aye, sir!"  
"Let's go little buddy! We'll have some breakfast with Mira and Lisanna and then talk to him!"  
"Aye!"  
Natsu was finally ready to ask for a promotion. He had been putting it off for weeks, what with everyone resting from the war, but he was ready now.  
Ever since about a month after the war ended, he started to spend a lot more time just thinking to himself whenever he was at home. He tried to keep up the same act at the guild whenever possible, and almost everyone bought it, but he had been asked a few times if he was ok by both Mira and Lisanna. Mira had a keen eye for everything, and Lisanna was...well...Lisanna saw through anything and everything. That's how she's always been, and that's probably how she always will be.  
Questions would always circle his mind. He started to doubt himself more, about why he did everything he did for his family. The reason he felt so guilty about it? It was because of how selfish he was for doubting that they were his family. But once he sat down and thought about it, why were they his family? Sure, Gramps gave him a place to stay and work, Lisanna was his best friend as a kid and helped him to become who he was today, Mira supported him through everything he did, and Happy, well, what didn't Happy do! So he was pretty sure those people were his family, but, what about the rest of them? Maybe a few more, he supposed. Wendy, of course, Gajeel, he would have to begrudgingly admit that one, and maybe even Laxus and Elfman, not to mention Romeo and little Asuka. They've all been there for him through something, but the rest of them, he wasn't so sure. It all started a while ago…  
Flashback  
"Mira! Another round over here!"  
"Coming right up!"  
Today, almost everyone in the guild was here. The war ended a month prior, and they were finally able to finish rebuilding. To celebrate, Sabertooth was visiting and they were going to have a massive party, even by Fairy Tail standards.  
"Ha ha~! Are you ready, little buddy?" Natsu asked excitedly. "Sting, Rogue, and the rest of them are visiting!"  
"Aye, sir! Frosch and Lector are coming too! We can have all the fish in Magnolia!" Happy replied, drooling.  
"What was that other one's name again? Yuriko? Or was it Yakina?"  
"I think it was Yako," Happy answered.  
"That sounds right," Natsu nodded, agreeing with the cat.  
"It's Yukino, Natsu!" Erza shouted.  
"Hmmm, that doesn't sound right…" Natsu replied. "I'm pretty sure it was Yako."  
"What kind of idiot can't even remember a name, flame-brain?" Gray challenged.  
"What kind of idiot can't even remember clothes, ice-prick?" Natsu shot back.  
"You wanna go, ash-breath?"  
"I'd go any time, snow queen!"  
"I can't wait to beat you into the ground again, lizard lung!"  
"That would mean you've beaten me before, snowflake! Which as far as I can remember, hasn't happened even once!"  
"Seems like names aren't the only thing you can't remember, charcoal!"  
"This coming from-"  
"ENOUGH!" Erza roared. "You WILL NOT ruin our reputation in front of guests!"  
"Aye, ma'am!" they quickly replied. For the next half hour, their obedience continued, but as rivals, duels were inevitable.  
"What'd you say, droopy eyes?"  
"You heard me, squinty eyes!"  
"Come on, let's-"  
"I WARNED YOU ONCE, NATSU!" Erza roared, and proceeded to beat him senseless, in her own sick form of 'punishment.' After a few minutes, Natsu was out cold, and covered in bruises in cuts, while Gray was standing next to him in terror. "Will you be a problem too, or do I have to give you punishment as well?"  
"I'll behave, ma'am!" he shot back.  
"Don't you think you went a bit too far, Erza?" Mira asked, as she came over to attend to the unconscious dragon slayer along with her sister.  
"Yeah, Natsu was just excited. You can't stop him from being himself, you know," Lisanna piped in, as the two sisters bandaged him.  
"He should listen to the rules, or he'll be punished," Erza declared, sitting back down.  
"I'm kind of with Erza on this one…" Lucy admitted. "We're not asking him that much, just stop shouting and fighting all the time."  
"Wow~! Lucy finally admitting her love has flaws!" Mira teased, giggling.  
"I don't know why I keep having to say that I don't have a crush on Natsu!" Lucy said, and sighed. "It's nothing personal, but I don't think I could really deal with...that...every day. I want someone I can spend my life with, and I just can't see us moving past teammates."  
Both Strauss sisters looked at her surprised, and even people that were around the table happened to overhear. "Really? It sure seems like you do," Mira questioned, surprised that one of her prized ships had gotten away.  
"I'm grateful for him bringing me to Fairy Tail and being on a team, but that's as far as it goes. We're friends and teammates, nothing more, nothing less."  
"Well...ok then!" The two sisters proceeded to carry the half-conscious dragon slayer up the stairs, who just so happened to overhear the conversation. Fortunately for him, he didn't actually have any feelings for the blonde celestial wizard other than best friends and family, but still...Saying she had to 'deal with him' every day stung a bit.  
Within an hour, Sabertooth arrived, including Sting, Rogue, Orga, Yukino, Minerva, Rufus, the two exceeds, and a few other less notable wizards. The celebration began immediately, and the various wizards dispersed into groups. Over at the bar were Sting, Rogue, Cana, Mira, and Lisanna.  
"Hey, where's Natsu at? I was hoping he would be here so we could duke it out again! I'm not losing this time!" Sting announced.  
"That is rather surprising that he isn't here," Rogue commented. "Normally he's the center of attention, and we'd be trying to avoid a brawl by now."  
"Isn't he the best!" Sting exclaimed.  
"Natsu sure is one of a kind!" Mira giggled. "He's in the infirmary. He might be down later, I'm not really sure. He's not really in any condition to move yet."  
"What happened? Is he ok?" Sting asked, concerned about his idol.  
"He's fine. Erza just beat him up really badly," Lisanna sighed. She'd never said this to anyone, not even Natsu or her sister, but she really couldn't believe that Natsu had stuck around at Fairy Tail after she had 'died'. That was one of her biggest fears, because she noticed that Natsu had no real reason to be in Fairy Tail other than finding his father, and now, he didn't even have that. Everyone was always mean to him, especially Erza, and he really didn't have any friends when they were kids except her. Mira was the only one who was ever even occasionally nice to the dragon slayer, so she fully expected him to leave once she had been taken to Edolas. Fortunately, he stuck around, so they were reunited, though, sadly, not as close as before, which was something she was determined to rectify, especially since she now knew for certain that she wouldn't be stealing him away from a blonde celestial spirit mage.  
"Wait, Erza beat him so bad he's in the infirmary? Is she that much stronger than him?" Sting gaped, a mixture of terror at Erza's strength and disappointment that his idol wasn't really as strong as he'd thought.  
"Oh, definitely not!" Lisanna told him. "If they were to fight for real, I don't think Natsu would have to try very hard to win."  
"If Natsu's that much stronger, how did he get beaten so badly?" Rogue questioned.  
"He's a big ol' softie~," Cana drunkenly slurred.  
Mira sighed at her drunken antics. "It's not that. They didn't actually fight, and even if they did, I don't think Natsu could bring himself to really hurt anyone here. He was arguing with Gray and Erza beat him senseless."  
"Why doesn't he just defend himself? It sounds like Erza is the perpetrator," Rogue noted. "While I will admit constant arguing could get on one's nerves, beating him senseless doesn't seem like the best way to go about solving the problem."  
"I think it's because when they were younger, Erza was way stronger than he was," Lisanna said. "Now it's just ingrained into him that he has to take whatever Erza dishes out or it will be worse. From what I've heard from Mira though, is that Natsu has been stronger than Mira since around X784. Was that right, Mira?"  
"I think so," Mira said thoughtfully. "Of course, we were in that time stasis thing for seven years after that, but I started to notice that Natsu was stronger than Erza right after Lucy got here. The two had a fight and I think Natsu was going to win if it weren't for the council. That seems so long ago now, though."  
"He's been stronger than her for that long, and he just let's her beat on him?" Sting asked, shocked.  
"Yeah…" Lisanna sighed.  
"Does no one bother to stop her? Putting someone in the infirmary for a few hours if not a whole day is way too much for arguing with someone!"  
"Erza's the guild disciplinarian. No one wants to go against her, because they'll get beaten up too. Besides, most of them don't want to listen to Natsu brawl, but that's just who he is. Besides, one day in the infirmary, while on the higher end of punishments, is by no means the worst she's given."  
"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what was the worst?" Rogue asked hesitantly.  
"Once when we were a lot younger, Natsu asked why she ate so much cheesecake. She told him it was delicious, and he asked if she was worried about gaining weight. Granted, he shouldn't have asked that to a lady, but he really didn't know any better, and he was genuinely concerned. People never really seemed to understand that someone raised by a dragon wouldn't really be well adapted into normal society right away... Anyway, she beat him so badly, he wasn't able to leave the infirmary for a week, and he couldn't go on missions for a week after that," Mira explained sadly.  
"He barely avoided something worse than that when I first got back from Edolas," Lisanna commented. Even Mira was a bit surprised since she didn't know this story. "Natsu, Happy, and I went fishing one afternoon and stayed the entire day. It was nice to spend time together since we hadn't seen each other in two years. We went back to the hut where we raised Happy, but Happy wanted to go visit Carla, so it left just the two of us. We didn't plan to stay there, but we both just kind of fell asleep after talking for a while. Nothing happened obviously, but we woke up to Erza shouting. She accused him of 'taking advantage of me' and 'forcing himself onto a distressed maiden' and then tried to beat him senseless. He had just woken up and had no idea what was going on, and if it weren't for me explaining everything, who knows what would have happened. He still got beaten pretty bad for sleeping next to me though. I had to carry him home after that."  
Sting and Rogue were both shocked. From everything Natsu had told them, it seemed like Fairy Tail was a happy place where everyone got along for the most part, and they brawled all the time as a way of having fun, relieving stress, and improving their combat skills. That was the reason Sting got them a special area out back specifically for brawls and fights, though that didn't stop the occasional one from happening inside. Apparently, he left out the part where if he acted like himself, he would be severely punished for it.  
"Wow…"  
"Aw come on," Cana drunkenly slurred. "If it really bothered him, he'd probably do something about it. Now, hit me again, Mira!"  
'I'm not so sure about that…' Mira thought to herself. She, like her sister, had very strong feelings for the slayer. If it wasn't for him she probably never would have gotten through her sister's supposed death. She would have left Fairy Tail with Elfman after that incident, and was planning to if the slayer hadn't forcefully gotten through to her and Elfman. Not only that, but everything he did for the guild was inspiring to her. He put himself into harm's way so they'd be safe, he acted like a complete idiot so they had something to take their mind off of their problems, and he knew so much about everyone that he could almost instantly cheer anyone up. The best gifts she'd ever gotten were all presents from Natsu, just because he knew her so well that he didn't even need to ask what she wanted, he just saw something that she would like and got it for her, with no ulterior motives other than to make her smile.  
The party continued the rest of the evening, and after a few hours, the wounded slayer joined them, though he stayed fairly quiet because Erza spent the entire time glaring at him, almost daring him to do anything less than perfectly obedient.  
Later that night, everyone was either passed out drunk on the floor or preparing to leave.  
"Yo, Natsu!" Sting called, jogging up to the slayer along with Rogue.  
"What's up, Sting! We didn't really get a chance to catch up, sorry about that! Hehe!" he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.  
"No problem, man! You know any good spots we can crash for the night? Neither of us really like hotels unless it's for long missions in one area."  
"Yeah, sleeping under the stars is so much better! I've got the perfect spot, let's go! You up for it Happy, or are you staying with Wendy and Carla tonight?"  
"Well…" Happy hesitated. He had to pick between two of his favorite three things; Natsu and Carla, the third, of course, being fish, but that wasn't one of his choices right now.  
"Why don't you stay with them tonight, and we'll have a slayer night! Just us!"  
"Are you sure you're ok with that, Natsu?" Happy asked.  
"Of course! Why don't you bring Frosch and Lector with you, if that's ok with you two?"  
"Sounds awesome!" Sting cheered.  
"I don't mind," Rogue agreed.  
"Well then, it's settled! Let's go!" With that, Natsu raced outside. The twin slayers glanced at each other and shrugged, before dashing out after him.  
"You know Wendy isn't here, right Happy?" Mira asked, walking up to him.  
"THEN WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO STAY?!" Happy cried.  
"The three of you can stay with us, Happy!" Lisanna piped up. "Let those three have their fun, we can have an exceed night!"  
"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered.  
"That could be fun," Lector agreed, walking over to the group. "Still...they could have at least told us before running off like that…"  
"Frosch thinks so too!" Frosch agreed, cheerily.  
The two sisters giggled, and led the party of exceeds to their home, leaving their passed out brother with the rest of the drunken Fairy Tail members.  
Meanwhile, Natsu and the Sabertooth dragon slayers arrived at Natsu's spot. "How about this! I've only ever brought Happy and Lisanna here, no one else knows about it!"  
"Wow…" Sting breathed.  
"It's amazing…" Rogue agreed. The area truly was beautiful. It was a fairly large clearing, with tall trees with thick sturdy branches. In the middle was a lake that shimmered in the moonlight, the water as clear as crystal. The occasional bat would swoop by and they had a perfect view of the moon and the stars.  
"Great, isn't it? I would have built my house here, but I didn't want anyone else to know about this place but me. It just seemed wrong to mess with it," Natsu explained.  
"I'd have to agree," Rogue nodded.  
"This is the coolest!" Sting shouted. The three found a good area to sleep, and proceeded to talk, laugh, and carry on for a while. After about an hour, Sting finally decided to breach the topic he'd wanted to bring up since they discovered Natsu was in the infirmary.  
"Hey, Natsu, would you ever think about joining Sabertooth?" he asked.  
"Eh? Why would I do that? I mean, you guys are awesome and everything, but I'm a part of Fairy Tail! I can't just leave my family!" he declared proudly.  
"Look, I know it's not really any of our business, but we heard a few things from Mira and Lisanna, and thought you might want to talk about how you actually feel about everything."  
"Whaddya mean?" he questioned.  
"Look, Natsu," Rogue started. "You know what we mean. You are one of the strongest wizards in Fiore, and could probably make the position of a Wizard Saint if you really wanted to, and, no offense, but were a little more mature, at least outwardly. You caused the two strongest and most evil beings ever to roam earthland to be defeated. You played a major role in the defeat of every pillar of the Ballam alliance, not to mention everything else I'm sure you've done that we haven't heard about."  
"What does that have to do with anything? I just did what anyone else would do to protect my family!"  
"The thing we're trying to say, Natsu," Sting paused and sighed. "Are they really your family?"  
"Of course they're my family! What are you getting at?!" Natsu shouted angrily.  
"Relax, Natsu," Rogue said calmly. "We know that this is a sensitive issue but you helped us to make our guild a family. If it weren't for you, we'd still be a cruel, ruthless guild known for nothing but power."  
"Exactly," Sting agreed. "But anyway, back to what we were saying. You did all that, but you aren't even S-Class, even though, as much as I hate to admit it, you are stronger than every wizard in Sabertooth and could probably put up a good fight against both Rogue and I at the same time, if not win like you did last time. You get beaten up by Erza for simply being yourself, and the guild puts up with it because they find you annoying. Plus, they seem to think that if it bothered you, you'd do something to stop it, like you're some sort of attack dog only meant to serve. Is that how a family treats one of their own?"  
"It's not that...I mean…" Natsu hesitated. He'd never given it that much thought before, but everything Sting said seemed right. Everything he did was for the good of the guild, but what did he get in return? "I don't know…"  
"Look, don't make a decision now, man," Sting said, patting his idol on the shoulder. "Think about it. If you want to join us, we'll take you in with open arms. You'd be S-Class right away and probably our ace too."  
"You can do that?" Natsu asked incredulously.  
"Sting is the guild master, Natsu," Rogue deadpanned.  
"Oh! Right!"  
"But Sting's right. Take some time to think about it. You've done so much for everyone else. Personally, I think it's time you get something in return."  
Flashback End  
"So why are you doing this again, Natsu?" Happy asked. "Not that you don't deserve to be S-Class."  
"Because! If I make S-Class, maybe people will give me a bit more respect! And Erza will acknowledge that I'm stronger than her and stop treating me like a punching bag! And maybe the guild will realize that I'm more than just a goofy idiot!"  
"Aye, sir! You're the goofiest idiot I know!"  
"HEY!" he yelled, chasing his cat. "GET BACK HERE!"  
"Gotta catch me first, Natsu!" he laughed, flying to the guildhall.  
Soon they arrived at the guildhall, entering with their usual gusto, before heading over to the bar.  
"Good morning, Natsu!" Mira chirped.  
"Hi Mira! Good to see you! Can we get our usual?" Natsu asked.  
"Of course!" she replied, and headed off to prepare his breakfast. Soon after, she reemerged with two large breakfast platters and a plate of fish. "Here you are! Anything else?"  
"Thanks, Mira!" he declared happily, licking his lips at sight of the amazing meal. "Actually, yeah. You and Lisanna want to join me?"  
"I don't see why not. There are still only a few people here and Kinana can handle them. I'll go get her."  
"Awesome, thanks Mira!"  
She giggled, and walked over to retrieve her sister. They soon emerged and shared greetings before joining Natsu at an isolated table.  
"So, what'd you want to talk to us about, Natsu?" Lisanna asked.  
"Or did you just want to be seen eating breakfast with two pretty girls?" Mira teased.  
"Mira~!" Natsu whined, blushing slightly. "I actually wanted to tell you two something. I'm gonna ask gramps if I can be S-Class today."  
"EH?" they both asked at the same time.  
"Yep, I think I've earned it. Besides, we've missed like four trials in a row. One from Tenrou, then from Tartaros, then the guild disbanded, and then Alvarez stuff."  
"I guess you do have a point there," Lisanna replied thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her finger. "Do you think you're ready?"  
"Of course I do!" Natsu declared.  
Lisanna giggled. "I think so too. Maybe Mira can put in a good word for you?"  
"Hmmm…" Mira pretended to think. "Gee, I don't know, Natsu. Are you sure you've done enough? I mean, it can't be that hard to defeat Acnologia, right?"  
"WHAT?!"  
"Oh, relax! I'm just teasing you!" Natsu sighed in relief, thinking she didn't really understand what kind of a monster Acnologia was, even outside of his dragon form. "I'll do you one better. I'll go with you. You've been stronger than I was when I made S-Class for years now, so I think you deserve it."  
"You two are the best!" he exclaimed, reaching over the table and pulling them in for a hug. "Thank you thank you thank you!"  
They giggled at his enthusiasm, though not without slight blushes on their face.  
"Is that why you've been a bit off lately?" Lisanna asked.  
"Well…" Natsu sighed, scratching his head.  
"You should tell them, Natsu. They'll understand!" Happy encouraged while devouring more fish. "Actually, don't tell them. Then they'll bribe me to tell them with fish! Did I say that out loud?"  
"You did, Happy. Nice to know you'll sell me out for some fish…" he grumbled, much to the Strauss' amusement. "Remember when Sabertooth came a few weeks ago?"  
"Of course!"  
"Well, Sting, Rogue, and I had a 'slayer's night' and they talked to me about a few things I never really thought of. At first I thought I was just being selfish, but after thinking about it, I think they might be right…"  
Both sisters glanced at each other nervously. They both had a good idea of what was on his mind, though surprised it took him this long to act on it.  
"It's just that...I feel like I've done a lot for the guild because they're my family. But Sting mentioned that they did things to me that family doesn't really do to each other...and I guess I sort of agreed with him...on some things…" he finished quietly.  
"Natsu," Mira said sadly. "There's nothing wrong with that. Being family goes both ways. That doesn't mean you should expect them to do things for you, which would be a little selfish, but wanting to be acknowledged and appreciated is perfectly reasonable."  
"Mira's right, Natsu," Lisanna agreed. "The only reason the guild is still here is because you brought everyone back together because you knew it would make us feel better. And no one even thanked you for it! Family is supposed to be a lot like 'I'll scratch your back and you scratch mine,' you know?"  
"But my back doesn't itch?" Natsu questioned.  
"That's not what I mean, Natsu!" Lisanna scolded. "It means that family does things for each other. You do things for us so we should do things for you. I think asking for S-Class is a perfectly reasonable request as something the guild can do for you."  
"Oh! That makes more sense!" Natsu nodded. "Thanks, Lis! You're the best!"  
"What about me?" Mira pouted.  
"Uh...you're the best too! You're both the best!" he exclaimed, satisfied with his solution.  
Mira giggled at him. "So are you gonna make a big show of it, or ask in private?"  
"I was just going to ask him when he got in. Is there a procedure or something?"  
"Nope!" she chirped back. "Just let me know and I'll come with!"  
"Thanks, Mira!"  
"So you aren't gonna join Sabertooth?" Happy asked.  
"Happy, that was a secret!" Natsu scolded.  
"You were going to join Sabertooth?!" the two asked bewildered.  
"Well...I thought about it…" he admitted. "When they talked to me, they offered a spot at Sabertooth if I wanted one. I said no of course, since I'm in Fairy Tail, but they did make a great point. It's not like I want to be worshipped or anything, but a lot of them look up to me there, so I would be able to help a lot more people. I can't really help anyone but Romeo and Asuka here, since they all think I'm a reckless idiot. If I went to Sabertooth, I'd be S-Class, their ace, and I'd be able to help Sting, Rogue, and a bunch of their other mages improve, and they can help me in turn!"  
The two glanced at each other again with a sad look. 'Why do they keep doing that? Do they have telepathy magic or something?' Natsu thought to himself.  
"Are you going to take their offer if you don't get S-Class?" Mira asked sadly.  
"I don't know, I'd think about it," he admitted.  
"I think you should pick whichever is best for you," Lisanna told him. "We'll miss you more than anything if you left, but you would still be able to visit us if you went, and we would visit you."  
"Thanks, Lis, Mira. We'll see what happens I guess."  
"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered. He's never been one for reading social cues, but this time it worked, since they all looked at him and laughed, starting up a more jovial conversation.  
About an hour and a half later, most of the guild had arrived, and Mira had had to excuse herself earlier on to start working. Lisanna, Happy, and Natsu stayed and chatted until Makarov came in.  
"Hey, gramps!" Natsu called over.  
"Ah, Natsu my boy! How are you today?" he asked, rolling over to his table. (A/N: Makarov is in a wheelchair, remember? Just so you don't picture-actually, that would be pretty funny...)  
"I'm great, gramps! Can I talk to you in your office?"  
"Of course, my boy. Come with me," Makarov replied, though a bit surprised. 'I wonder what this is about...he's never asked to talk with me before.'  
"Sure, I'll meet you there. Mira wants to come too, so I'll get her first."  
"Sounds good, my boy." With that, he rolled away.  
"Good luck, Natsu! I think he'll understand," Lisanna reassured.  
"Thanks Lis!" he said, and gave her a hug. "You two are the best!"  
"Put me down, Natsu! And you already said that!" she squeaked.  
"Sorry about that!" he chuckled, setting her back down. "I just got excited."  
"Don't worry about it, just go get my sister."  
"Right!"  
"Aye, sir!" After Natsu ran off to find Mira, Happy turned back over to Lisanna. "He liiiiikes you!"  
"Happy!"  
Five minutes later, Makarov, Natsu, and Mira were all gathered together in the master's office. "So, my boy, what is this about? I don't think you've ever asked to see me before."  
"I wanted to ask you to make me an S-Class wizard!" he declared confidently.  
"Hmmm…" Makarov said, stroking his chin. 'So that's what this is about.'  
"I think you should hear him out, Master," Mira added. "I think he deserves it."  
"Very well, my child. Why should I make you an S-Class wizard?"  
"I think I'm strong enough that I deserve it now! I'm strong enough to protect people that I see as my family, and I'm equal to or stronger than all our S-Class wizards, and I'm stronger than almost everyone in most of the other guilds. Even Sting admits that I could probably handle any two of his members at once, and Sabertooth is the second strongest guild in Fiore."  
"I see. But you do know that being S-Class takes a lot more than just strength, right?"  
"Of course I know that! It takes brains, leadership, and what was that other thing? Paternity?"  
"I think you mean maturity, Natsu…" Mira deadpanned.  
"Right! I know I'm not the smartest person in the guild, but I'm not an idiot. And I have my own team that's named after me, so I think I make a good leader!"  
"I have to agree with everything so far, Natsu, however, I am worried about the last one. You know you can be a bit immature rather frequently, my boy," Makarov explained.  
"In all fairness, master, he's no less mature than the rest of them," Mira countered. "Laxus tried to take over the guild by force, Erza beats up anyone who doesn't do exactly as she says, and I wasn't exactly the poster child when I was made S-Class," she finished with a giggle.  
"I suppose that's true," he scratched his beard thoughtfully. "My last point is this. Natsu, you often have trouble controlling your magic and that can lead to a bad reputation for you and the guild. How-"  
"Before you finish that master," Natsu interrupted, to both of their surprise. "I thought about that. But...Gildarts...need I say more?"  
Makarov raised a finger and opened his mouth before processing what he said, and stopping. "And I presume you agree with all this, Mira?"  
"Of course I do! He can be a little reckless and annoying sometimes-"  
"I'm right here!"  
Mira giggled in response. "But he's also the heart and soul of Fairy Tail. He's proven his strength, his ability to lead, and his willingness to do anything for people he sees as friends and family. Besides, his flaws are no worse than the rest of our S-Class wizards. His strength alone is on par with Gildarts; I don't know if I stand a chance against him myself anymore. Not to mention he's a cutie!"  
"Mira~!" Natsu whined, blushing. "This is serious!"  
Both of them chuckled at this before Makarov sighed. "Honestly I agree with Mira, but many of the points you made apply to Gray as well."  
"Then why not give us both the rank? Gray might be an idiot, but he's a strong fighter."  
"Really?" Makarov asked in shock. He knew their rivalry was a friendly one, but neither ever went out of their way to compliment the other.  
"Of course! Ice princess is nowhere near my level, but he's strong, and he's done almost as much as I have to protect Fairy Tail."  
Makarov laughed at this. "Well, my boy. Seeing as we've gone eleven years without any S-Class additions, I suppose I could do that, however, I don't feel it would be fair for me to make that decision alone. I'm sure others want to be S-Class as well, and normally we solve that with the trials."  
"I know that, which is why I wasn't sure about asking, but I feel I'm ready for this, gramps," Natsu said with determination.  
"I can see that, which is why I'll offer a compromise. I'll go out and we can ask the guild. If there is a clear majority for promoting both you and Gray, then I'll do it. If not, then you'll have to wait until the next trials."  
"I don't-" Mira started.  
"That sounds great, Gramps! Let's do it!" Natsu cheered.  
'This isn't good…' Mira thought, nervously.


	2. A Broken Dragon

"Alright, brats! Listen up!" Makarov roared from the second floor, which they had installed a ramp on so that the master had access to his office. "I have an announcement to make!"  
The rowdy guild stopped their loud late-morning chatter to listen to what their long-time guild master had to say to them.  
"As you lot know, we have missed many S-Class trials in a row. In fact, the last S-Class mage we actually promoted was Mystogan around twelve years ago, which, as most of you long-time members know, realize he is currently preoccupied elsewhere and will not be returning for the foreseeable future if ever. That being said, I have come to determine a proposition to potentially add some new members to the rankings."  
"S-Class is manly!" Elfman roared.  
"Well, isn't this interesting," Cana muttered to herself.  
"Daddy, are you and mommy gonna be S-Class this year?" little Asuka questioned, which was answered by a nervous chuckle.  
"SILENCE BRATS!" Makarov shouted, silencing the crowd again. "Under normal circumstances, we would hold a trial with many nominees and one or zero mages would be promoted, depending on the results of said trials. This time, however, an alternative proposal has been brought to my attention by none other than our very own Natsu Dragneel."  
"NATSU HAD AN IDEA?" Gray yelled.  
"AND YOU LISTENED TO IT?" Lucy added.  
"HEY! SHUT UP!" Natsu shouted back. "I HAVE GOOD IDEAS ALL THE TIME!"  
"Aye, sir!" Happy returned loudly. "Like the fish race! Whoever could bring the most fish from the river to our house won! And you lost so you had to get me fish for a whole week!"  
"As I was saying...Since it has been so long since we've had an S-Class mage, this proposition was made. Natsu requested to be promoted to S-Class and-"  
"NATSU!" Erza shouted. "HOW DARE YOU REQUEST TO BE PROMOTED WITHOUT A TRIAL?! THAT'S A DISGRACE TO FAIRY TAIL TRADITION!"  
"Why should flame-brain get S-Class? He's an S-Class moron!" Gray added.  
"Would you let him finish instead of just yelling at me?" Natsu replied, uncharacteristically calm, which went unnoticed by everyone except the two Strauss sisters.  
'This isn't good…' Lisanna thought to herself, noticing both Natsu's behavior and her sister's nervous look.  
"Natsu requested a promotion and made a very convincing argument, along with a recommendation from a current S-Class mage, Mirajane. However, I realize that it is not entirely fair to promote him just because he asked, regardless of whether he deserves it or not. So, the two of us came to an agreement. Because this would effectively skip the trials, we would go to a guild vote, however, both Natsu and Gray would have to be promoted together, due to their similar accomplishments."  
"How long did it take you to convince ash-breath to give me a shot?" Gray sneered.  
"Actually, it was-" Makarov tried to answer.  
"Master this is entirely inappropriate. All of our S-Class mages worked hard to get promoted, it is unacceptable to simply attain a rank because you asked for it," Erza interrupted.  
"Isn't Natsu a bit...reckless? For S-Class?" Lucy questioned timidly. "Sure he's strong and everything, but I don't know if that's everything that qualifies. I guess I could see Gray getting it…"  
"Hell yeah, I could. There's no way flame-brain should be S-Class. He does enough damage on normal missions. Imagine the reputation we'd get if we promoted him!"  
"Destroying things on jobs is NOT MANLY!" Elfman shouted. "I think Natsu should prove his manliness in a trial before he's promoted! As manly as Natsu is, I want a chance to show how manly I can be too! MAN!"  
"I think Uncle Natsu would be a great S-Class wizard! Don't you think so mommy?" Asuka asked.  
"Well…" she answered thinking. "I think we could give him a shot I suppose."  
"I don't know about that, Bisca," Alzack said scratching his head. "I think he needs to grow up a bit more first."  
"I-I think Natsu would be great…" Wendy murmured.  
"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.  
"Why would you promote that hooligan?" Carla huffed.  
"Alright, brats! You've given your opinions! So, what's it going to be? If the majority of the guild rules in favor, both Gray and Natsu will become S-Class mages. If not, they'll have to wait for the trials."  
"Early promotion is NOT A MAN!" Elfman roared.  
"Such a request is an utter disgrace to Fairy Tail's name. You better be ready for SEVERE punishment, Natsu," Erza said, glaring at the fire mage.  
"I'm with Erza on this one...Sorry, Natsu," Lucy said sadly.  
"Not a chance, flame-brain. If I have to wait another year to kick your ass to become S-Class, I'll do it no problem. There's no way you can be S-Class," Gray added.  
"Natsu is a bad enough influence on Wendy. He needs to become a better role model! She's a young, impressionable child!"  
"Carla!" Wendy whined. "I'm not a child anymore! And Natsu is a great role model. I think he'd be perfect as an S-Class wizard."  
"I'm with Wendy," Lisanna said, smiling.  
"Not a chance, Natsu," Cana drunkenly called out. "If anyone is gonna be the next S-Class wizard, it's me. Just because you bribed master doesn't mean you can get promoted first."  
"Go, Uncle Natsu!" Asuka cheerily shouted.  
"I think it's alright to give him a chance," Bisca nodded.  
"Sorry, Bisca, but that's a no way from me. He's way too reckless," Alzack said.  
Many more votes were cast, though near all of them were negative. He got a positive response from Levy and Romeo, and an affirmative grunt from Laxus and Gajeel, but that was it. The whole time Natsu stood next to Makarov with a neutral expression, just listening to everything. 'Reckless idiot...is that seriously all they think of me?' he thought to himself. 'My entire team? Even Gray was willing to sacrifice his spot...just to stop me?'  
"Very well, brats," Makarov sighed, with a slightly saddened tone in his voice. "We'll hold off on promotions until the next round of trials." With that, Makarov patted Natsu on his shoulder in a consoling way, before rolling back into his office.  
"Natsu?" Mira asked quietly.  
"Thanks, Mira…" Natsu replied with a sad smile. "I think I'll go home for a bit. I need to spend some time alone."  
"Ok, Natsu. If you need to talk about anything, I'm here for you."  
"Thanks, Mira…" Natsu slowly walked down the steps and headed for the exit.  
"NATSU!" Erza shouted, blocking his path with a sword drawn and pointed towards his neck. "How dare you disgrace Fairy Tail's time-honored traditions!"  
"I'm not in the mood right now, Erza," Natsu replied, slightly annoyed. He was trying to keep himself from exploding, but seeing Erza do this again after listening to the guild talk about how unworthy he was stung a bit.  
"I don't care Natsu! You will be punished for your disrespect!" Erza went to swing the sword at him, but what she did not expect was to wind up on the floor before she could connect. Natsu caught her hand and punched her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground in surprise, before she could hit him.  
"I said I wasn't in the mood right now, Erza," Natsu growled, and tried to head out again.  
"Erza, I really think you should let him go," Lisanna tried to intervene.  
"I'm with Lisanna, Erza. He clearly doesn't want to talk to you right now," Mira added with a slight glare.  
"YOU WILL NOT IGNORE ME, NATSU! REQUIP! HEAVEN'S WHEEL!" she shouted, donning her new armor and twin swords. "YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!"  
"SCARLET!" Natsu roared back, halting her advance. "I said. I'm not. In. The. Mood." A slight shiver rose up her spine, but she chose to ignore it. This was Natsu.  
"What's with that attitude, flame-brain? Are you still mad because your bribe didn't work?" Gray sneered.  
"I don't know what's gotten into you, Natsu, but you will be punished for disrespecting Fairy Tail, and for your attitude," Erza declared.  
"That's enough." Natsu halted and started to growl. "If you touch me you won't be able to move for a week. I will walk out this door and you will not follow me. One more threat and you just might understand a small piece of the wrath of a dragon…"  
Wendy and Gajeel heard that threat and were shocked. Wendy was terrified for both Natsu and Erza, but Gajeel decided to allow what happens to happen. It was about time. Not that he cared, or at least, not that he would admit to caring, but Salamander got treated like dirt. And that was coming from an ex enemy of theirs, who nearly killed several members of the guild.  
Erza was trembling in anger at the disrespect and had enough. She shot forward and swung, but that didn't go as well as she expected. Natsu caught both of her swords with his bare hands and erupted into flames.  
"ENOUGH, SCARLET! I WARNED YOU MANY TIMES, BUT YOU'VE PUSHED ME TOO FAR!" With immense strength, he snapped both of her swords and punched her in the stomach with a powerful flaming fist after grabbing her left arm to prevent her from shooting backward. He shot a flaming knee into her face, shattering her nose and sending her flying with a shout of pain.  
"Natsu! What is wrong with you!" Lucy yelled.  
"This is exactly why you're not ready for S-Class, lizard breath. You're way too immature," Gray angrily told him.  
"I'm immature? I'M IMMATURE? That's a great joke, Gray. I've never heard anything so utterly hysterical before! Have you MET Erza before? She tried to attack me for requesting something I DESERVE! I've deserved it for YEARS, but never bothered to ask for it! Because everything I did wasn't for a promotion, or money, or glory, or fame. It was to protect my family! But what did I get from it? Insulted. Told I'm a destructive idiot. Berated and beaten for being myself."  
"Don't think you're special, flame-brain, Erza beats everyone. What are you yammering on about? Are you that selfish?"  
"Special? I don't think you know the extent of what this red-headed, lovesick, hypocritical bitch has put me through! I was tortured to be taught how to read! That sounds like an exaggeration, but it WASN'T! I was locked in a room for DAYS! I was beaten whenever I got something wrong, and she only fed me and gave me water when I fully satisfied her pathetically unreasonable standards! Why do you think I hate reading? Maybe because picking up a book reminds me of being TORTURED by someone I thought was my FRIEND! How could you even EXPECT me to know how to read? I was raised by a FUCKING DRAGON! She beat me for being myself! You should agree with me, Gray, because she beat you up almost as much as she did me! But that's not all she did, although that's more than enough that any sane person would swear revenge on her very being. Remember when I brought a child to the guild because I wanted to know if gramps could help me find a place to give her a home? Remember the first thing she did? She DEMANDED to know where I had STOLEN the child from and attempted to attack me while I held a CHILD in my ARMS! Do you have any idea how that feels? To be accused of KIDNAPPING by someone you considered to be a close friend? That's not all she accused me of, oh no. When Lisanna came back we spent the night at the cabin on the hill where we raised Happy. Nothing too important, you know, just SPENDING TIME WITH MY BEST FRIEND WHO I THOUGHT WAS DEAD FOR TWO YEARS! When she found us, she BEAT ME UP for NO REASON! She thought I took advantage of her! MY BEST FRIEND! WHO I THOUGHT WAS DEAD! DO YOU KNOW HOW THAT FEELS GRAY? DO YOU? TO THINK THAT YOUR FRIENDS THINK YOU'D GO SO LOW AS KIDNAPPING A CHILD AND FORCING YOURSELF ON YOUR BEST FRIEND?" By now, the entire guild was listening. Natsu was enraged, the floodgates were open, and he couldn't stop. He didn't even notice the steady stream of tears pouring down his face.  
"Natsu…" Mira whispered sadly, trying to approach him to calm him down.  
"No, Mira, I'm getting this all out. I'm finished being shoved around and treated like a child. You were half as bad as Erza was when we were kids, so I'd have you in this too, but you know what you did that she didn't do? You apologized and understood when you took things too far. Sure you were a bully to a lot of people and you were mean to me and the others, but there was a line for you. You never took things too far, and when you grew up, you apologized for it. To everyone. You made them understand that you regretted what you did and that you had changed. Erza has been this way for years, but I'm done talking about that pathetic excuse for a knight. Gray! We were like brothers! I thought we understood that we had a friendly rivalry! I've saved your life at least three times! But what did I get in return? You sold me out to some power-drunk twit because you didn't trust me enough to help you! Sure, I forgot about the village, and I'll never forgive myself for that, but I'll never fully forgive you for what you did to me. You betrayed my trust as my brother and nearly got me killed. Do you understand how painful it is to have your magic sucked out of you forcefully? Do you have any idea? I do because I've had to go through it TWICE! It feels like someone is forcefully dragging pieces of you out of your body while you are POWERLESS to stop it! Not only that, but that was MY MAGIC! One of the LAST things I had to remember Igneel! It was like watching his essence being dragged out of me! Do you understand how much that hurts? Apparently not, because then in the middle of the war you believed OUR ENEMY that I was some sick, evil, crazed DEMON and ATTACKED ME! You think that all our time was some cover-up? Some sick ploy to lure you in so I could kill you?"  
"I didn't think that, I just-" Gray started.  
"No, you DIDN'T think! You never do! And you think I'm the reckless idiot here! What about the rest of our S-Class? I don't need to go back over Scarlet again, but what about the rest of them? Mystogan nearly got us all killed because he didn't trust us enough to ask for help, Laxus nearly got us all killed because he tried to forcefully take over the guild, and we had to build a town based on Gildarts' magic so he wouldn't accidentally destroy it! AND YOU CALL ME DESTRUCTIVE?"  
"Natsu," Makarov called. "I understand how you are feeling, but remember that once spoken, words cannot be unsaid."  
"I understand that, gramps, but I need to get this all out. I think you all forget about my slayer senses. Do you know how much it hurts to sit in a room full of family members and listen to you talk about me? About each and every thing I've done to irritate you? About my private life with those I consider my friends? Do you understand how much it hurts? I can hear you, Macao and Wakaba, when you complain about how terrible of an influence I am for your son. I can hear you, Gray, when you talk about how much easier it would be to complete jobs if you didn't have me there. And I can hear the rest of you when you wish I'd stop starting brawls or stop being myself. Everything I do is for Fairy Tail. Why do you think I fight all the time anyway? I'll tell you why; it's a distraction. It keeps your minds off the pain and stresses of your lives and it keeps my senses from hearing you talk about me like that because it hurts! You have no idea how much it hurts to go through that every single day. Lucy, I thought we were best friends? I brought you a family and did everything I could to make you happy and safe because that's what friends do for each other! But the way you talk about me sounds like you're embarrassed to be near me, that I'm some sort of nuisance that you have to deal with. Is that how you feel about me? Really? That I'm some sort of insect that is buzzing around?"  
"No...it's-" Lucy tried to interrupt.  
"It's that you didn't think I'd find out. It's crazy what you can say when no one is there to hear you. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Of course, it fucking does! I heard it! I heard ALL of it! And it HURTS! So, no, Scarlet isn't the only target of my rage, in case you were wondering. I asked for S-Class not because I'm some stuck-up, selfish prick, but because I wanted to finally earn the respect of my guild and family that I've been protecting with all my strength since I was ten years old, or however old I damn was because I didn't even know what birthdays were until a year after Lisanna got here, and the whole time machine bullshit really screwed with my head. But it seems that it's too late for that now. And Gray? Bringing you with me to S-Class was my idea. Sure, he said that you had many of the qualities and reasons to be promoted as I did so it wouldn't be fair to promote me alone, but I was the one who suggested you get promoted with me. Not because I was that desperate, but because I thought of us as brothers who fought to improve ourselves, and because I thought despite the pain you brought me, despite that you believed that just because of who my brother is and what I was created to be, I was some evil beast capable of slaughter, you deserve just as much respect and praise as I do for protecting this family. But maybe I was wrong, not about what you deserve, but about this being my family. Because I don't believe that a true family would force me to do something this drastic to make my point known. I'll be leaving, anyone who tries to stop me won't get off as lucky as Scarlet did. If you're lucky you won't see me again any time soon. It's what many of you have been 'joking' about for years now, isn't it? Gramps?"  
"What is it, my boy?"  
"Come see me tomorrow. If you don't know where I live, ask Lisanna or Mira."  
"Very well," Makarov replied with a sigh and a nod.  
"Let's go, Happy."  
"Aye, sir…" he said sadly, floating over as Natsu left, before turning to the guild to angrily speak to them. "Good job. You finally did it. You broke Natsu."  
The silence left in the guild was thick, most were too shocked to really do anything, but a handful were just miserable, especially the Strauss girls, Wendy, and Asuka, who, while not fully understanding the situation, understood that something was wrong.  
"So Salamander finally snapped," Gajeel grunted from across the room. "Gotta give the kid props that he stuck it out this long, or none of us would be here."  
"And what is that supposed to mean, Gajeel?" Erza demanded, holding her bleeding and broken nose.  
"I thought Salamander broke your nose, not your ears, Titania. I'm a slayer too, don't think I can't hear everything. You guys were just as bad to him as you were to me when I first got here."  
"I don't understand why he didn't say anything before…" Lucy said sadly. "I never wanted to hurt him like that…"  
"Actually, he did. Well, to Erza at least," Lisanna piped up, earning a few eyes from the guild. "When I first got here. Erza had just finished beating up Natsu and Gray for fighting because Gray accused him of lying about having a dragon as a father. He told her that there was only so much someone could take before he snapped and walked away. That's why we became friends. I didn't want him to leave so I tried to get to know him, and it was the best decision I ever made."  
"I warned you guys several times myself," Mira added, glaring at several members, especially Erza. "Not that we should have had to for you to understand the damage you were causing to your family. I kept telling you you took things too far. I can't say that I was totally innocent. He said it himself, I was a jerk, a bully, and fully deserved the nickname 'the demon,' but I never went as far as you did. And you never apologized for anything."  
"I never thought about it like that…" Erza said quietly.  
"I don't think anyone is wholly innocent here," Makarov said from above. "I'm surprised he's not angry at me as well, considering I let all of this happen right under my nose. If we're lucky he'll be back tomorrow."  
"I don't understand how you could all do this to him," Wendy said, sniffling. "Natsu's done everything for us, and we just didn't care."  
"Now, now, child, it'll be alright. I'm sure he was just frustrated at not being promoted," Carla told her.  
"No! You don't understand!" Wendy cried. "Natsu had to go through so much pain from this guild! If Gray did to me what he did to Natsu, I would have left and never looked back! And that's not even including everything else he talked about!"  
"What do you mean by that, Wendy?" Lucy asked nervously.  
"When we were in Edolas, they chained us up and sucked out our magic. The pain...it's unimaginable...They did it for hours...but anything I went through, Natsu went through more than ten times over. Every time they took magic from me, he yelled at them, shouting for them to take it from him instead, swearing that he'd burn them and anyone connected them to ashes if they took one extra drop of magic from me that they didn't have to. So for every five or ten minutes that they drained me, they took at least an hour's worth from him. And if I were to guess, it hurt way worse when that crazy she-witch took it from him, because it was actively using his magic rather than just storing it, and that was several hours without a break!"  
"Gajeel, if Natsu's dragon didn't teach him to read, how did you learn?" Levy asked.  
"How do you think, Shrimp? When I joined Phantom Lord, Josè hired someone to help me learn the basics. Pretty much to where Salamander is now, I could read job requests, menus, and signs, but not really novels or anything. Juvia taught me a bit more and then I just learned on my own, but she still helped with some of the vocabulary I didn't know."  
"Juvia didn't do that much to help Gajeel, Juvia was just happy that Juvia had someone to talk with…" Juvia said quietly. "Most of it Gajeel did without Juvia's help."  
"Don't cut yourself short, water woman. I'm just lucky I got it the easy way. Torture? Really Titania? I always knew he hated reading, but at least it makes sense now. You didn't take the time to think that maybe, just maybe, a dragon is too big for stuff like books so he probably didn't really understand reading and writing all that well either? You just thought he was an idiot?"  
"I didn't think of that…"  
"Anyone else hear the part about his brother?" Laxus called out from the second floor. "Who is he that would make the ice prick attack him like that?"  
"It wasn't because of his brother...there were special circumstances involved…" Gray muttered.  
"Well, as much as the damage is already done, it probably wouldn't help things if you told them, so I suggest you keep your mouth shut," Mira glared at the ice mage.  
"I can't believe he still remembers all of that...I had no idea it hurt him so badly…" Erza said sadly.  
"Well, what did you expect, Erza? I kept telling you to take it easy on him, and that you can't force someone to change who they are, but instead you took it further. You didn't trust him enough to spend time with my sister? Seriously? He thought she was dead for two years, and the first thing you assume is that he forced her to have sex with him, or took advantage of her emotional state? How low do you think of him?"  
"It wasn't that, I just-"  
"If it wasn't that, then why did you beat him anyway after I told you that nothing happened. Even though I shouldn't have had to tell you anything! Even if something did happen, we are both old enough to make our own decisions, and m-my romantic life has nothing to do with you!" Lisanna finished, blushing fiercely at the thought of an intimate night alone with Natsu.  
Erza just looked down in defeat, still somehow ignoring the fact that her nose was still broken, though that was not unnoticed by Makarov.  
"Kid made a good point though. Not mentioning everything he's done for you lot, he's probably in the top three strongest in the guild. I watched him finish off Acnologia myself. He couldn't have done it alone of course, but if it was anyone else, he would have killed all of us," Laxus grunted. The guild looked at him in shock that he was actually acknowledging someone outside of the Thunder Legion. "Don't give me that look, I'm not blind you know."  
"Mommy, what was wrong with Uncle Natsu? What was he so upset about?" Asuka asked sadly.  
"A lot of things, sweetie, and a lot of things no one really noticed even though we should have," she replied sadly.  
"Well, I can't say I'm the proudest right now, but what's done is done. Erza you should get that injury looked at, head up to the infirmary," Makarov announced.  
"But master, Wendy is-"  
"Not a chance, Erza!" Wendy said angrily, once again shocking the guild. "I knew you were mean to Natsu, but I had no idea it was that bad. You thought he kidnapped a child? Natsu is amazing with children, he adores them! You've seen him with Asuka!"  
"Wendy's right on that one. That's one of the reasons I looked up to him so much. He made you feel special, rather than just some kid," Romeo added.  
"I feel like I should have stuck up for him more…" Lucy said sadly. "Especially that day. I knew how he was with children. Every time we passed an orphanage he begged me to let him stay there for a while, and if we were in a hurry, he'd always leave something or swing by on the way back. He loved spending time with the kids."  
Erza said nothing but headed upstairs to the infirmary. The guild resumed its prior activities, though mostly in a rather somber mood. There were no brawls and there was no laughter, just a quiet chatter.  
"Do you think he'll join Sabertooth?" Lisanna asked her sister quietly.  
"I'm not sure...I don't think he'll be staying here though…" Mira replied.  
"Well, what else would he do?"  
"If I were him, I'd go rogue. That's what I'm scared of. Natsu has a lot of enemies; if they find out he becomes an independent mage, he'd be targeted by everyone."  
"Why would Natsu go rogue?"  
"Remember all the stories Natsu told us of his year-long training journey? I've never seen him that happy before, not since before you went to Edolas at least, and even this was something comparable to when Happy was born. He's in a bad place right now, and he might want to go back. The happiest times he's had were with Igneel, with you and Happy, and on his training trip. Two of those were living off the land practicing magic with only one companion, so I'm afraid that it's what he'll go back to."  
"Should we go talk to him? To make sure nothing happens?"  
"We can go with Makarov tomorrow. The best thing for us to do right now is to let him have some time to himself."  
"I really hope he'll be ok…"  
"I hope so too, Lis...I hope so too…"  
With Natsu and Happy  
"Are we gonna join Sabertooth, Natsu?" Happy asked sadly, as Natsu started to clean around his hut and pack some of his things.  
"No, but I'm not staying here. Makarov was right, the things I said can't be unsaid. If they didn't hate me before, they do now."  
"This wasn't your fault, Natsu. They let it build up and you broke."  
"I just don't know anymore, Happy…Maybe we'll follow the wind…"  
"What about Mira and Lisanna? Or Romeo, Wendy, and Asuka?"  
Natsu collapsed on his knees and just cried. "I...I just don't know."


	3. The Decision of a Man or a Monster

The sun rose that morning just like it did any other, but this was not any other day. Natsu was lying in his hammock awaiting Makarov's visit. He knew the master was almost there, he could smell him as soon as he entered his 'territory,' and he also knew that he was accompanied by his favorite two white-haired barmaids.  
Unfortunately, he got very little sleep last night. His mind wouldn't let him. Part of him was trying to convince himself that what he did was right, and that they deserved it. He could forgive them, but why should he? He'd been forgiving them for years, and nothing ever changed. The other part wanted no part of that, and insisted that family was permanent, and no matter what they did to you, forgiveness is always an option. That was the meaning of family.  
These thoughts continued to circle and swarm his brain until he heard a knock at his door. He rose up to open it, careful not to wake the peacefully sleeping exceed that was resting in his own bed, which was, as you'd expect, a small blanket with fish designs and a fish shaped pillow. Opening the door revealed the sight he expected; Mira, Lisanna, and Makarov.  
"Good morning, my boy. How are you after yesterday?"  
"Natsu! You look terrible!" Mira exclaimed.  
"Gee, thanks, Mira. I'd say the same, but that never seems to be the case…" he grumbled, earning a blush from the barmaid. "And I've been better, to tell you the truth, gramps." Natsu sighed and opened the door wider. "Well, come on in. I'll make some tea I suppose."  
The group thanked him and entered, walking over and taking a seat on the few pieces of furniture that he had in his main living area, which was a small couch that fit the two sisters and a chair that worked perfectly for Makarov. Natsu proceeded to make tea while the group sat in a thick, uncomfortable silence, the only noise being from Happy's sleep talking about Carla accepting his fishies.  
Bringing the tea over, he got a chair for himself and sat down.  
"So, my boy. What is it you wanted to talk about?" Makarov asked him, having a fairly good idea of what it was.  
"I thought about it for a long time, gramps...I really did. Half of me wants to stay and forget this ever happened, you know? Just forgive them again and move on. The other half of me thinks that I should leave, and on the off chance they feel guilty, that they deserve to feel that way. Just so they can understand a little of what I've felt all these years."  
"I see," he replied, nodding his head. "I can't make a decision for you, my child. You are in a situation with very few options. Normally I would attempt to convince you to stay, but I currently believe that only you are capable of making this decision. Maybe if you stayed everything would be better, the problems you have would disappear or at least start to fade out. On the other hand, they could get worse, or simply continue. That could start to breed hatred within you, seeing as you already told them clearly how you felt. This is a decision that only you can make."  
"Are you joining Sabertooth?" Lisanna blurted out.  
'So this is what brought this up,' Makarov thought. 'I always knew he'd do something eventually, but I suppose that those two must have started it. I pray they did it for the right reasons, and not just to steal one of our finer mages…'  
Natsu sighed and rubbed his face. "Honestly? No. Even though right now I'm furious at most of Fairy Tail, I can't bring myself to join up with a rival guild. I feel like that would just be betraying those of you who I am not angry at."  
"We talked about this, Natsu. As much as we'd love more than anything for you to stay here with us-I mean with the guild, the most important thing is doing what's best for you," Mira told him, correcting her 'mistake' quickly.  
"I know that. However, I don't think trying to make Fairy Tail regret what they did is the right path to choose, and I feel like that's what it would seem like I was doing if I joined them. It would seem like I just wanted to join a rival guild to prove a point, both to them and to myself, and that's not what I want. I'll probably visit them and talk with Sting about it, maybe he'll convince me otherwise, but as of now, no. I don't plan to join them."  
"So does that mean you're remaining in Fairy Tail then?" Lisanna asked, hopefully.  
"Unfortunately, that would be a no as well. I feel as though even if I did forgive them, the damage has been done. Either they really do hate me now, or they are afraid of me hating them. If it's the first one, everything would get worse, and if it's the second, they'd all be walking on eggshells trying to avoid making anything worse, which would inadvertently do just that."  
"Since when do you know words like 'inadvertently,' Natsu?" Mira teased.  
"Oh come on, Mira, you know me better than that. I may not be a genius like Levy, or as good with words as Lucy, but I'm not an idiot. It's just more fun to live life without care, and I thought that other people would appreciate having something to take stress out on. I guess I was wrong on that front…"  
"Well, my boy, if you don't plan on staying, and you don't plan on joining Sabertooth, what do you plan on doing? Is there another guild you have your sights on?" Makarov asked.  
"Not at the moment, no. If I were to join another guild, it would undoubtedly be Sabertooth. I mean, Mermaid Heel is all women, Lamia Scale is alright but I only know a few of their members, I don't know anyone at Quatro Cerberus, and Blue Pegasus...no...they remind me too much of Loke...freaks me out…"  
Mira and Lisanna giggled at that, and even Makarov gave a light-hearted chuckle. "So, have another goal in mind do you? Or are you just going to wander?"  
"Actually, I had something in mind. I started to think about all of this stuff in-depth when Sabertooth visited a few months back. Sting, Rogue, and I camped out as a sort of 'slayer's night out' type thing, and they brought up a lot of things that I've spent weeks thinking about. But that isn't the only thing that's been on my mind. It's kind of hard to explain, but during the war, after E.N.D took over, I got trapped in some sort of a state of lumbar."  
"Uh...do you mean limbo?" Lisanna deadpanned.  
"Yeah, that too," Natsu replied casually, causing everyone to sweatdrop. "Anyway, apparently the dragon part of me from Igneel's magic and the demon part of me from E.N.D's curses were fighting to take control. Igneel came to me in my mind and asked which I wanted to be; a demon or a dragon. Obviously, I chose human."  
'Of course he did...Because why would you pick an option when you could make one up…' the other three thought, sarcastically.  
"Igneel said that was the right answer, and then I woke up."  
'Of course...because that makes sense…' The group once again nearly collapsed at the stupidity of the situation. 'Like father like son…'  
"Anyway, what I didn't mention to anyone, was what he said after. He told me that it was the right answer at the time, but I would only be able to keep that choice for a limited amount of time. Since I didn't choose either one, I was able to use the human part of me to stabilize both the demon seed and the dragon seed again. The only way to permanently prevent them from destroying me from the inside out would be to accept one nature, that of a demon or that of a dragon. He also explained to me that should I choose dragon, there was a special place I could go to-"  
"NATSU!" Mira shouted. "WHY WOULDN'T YOU TELL ANYONE THAT YOU COULD DIE ANY MOMENT?"  
"That's why, because I don't want people to freak out about it."  
"So help me if you don't find a solution to not die…" Lisanna warned, and then sighed, looking at the ground sadly. "Why do you do this to yourself? There are people that care about you, Natsu. Even if some of them don't, there are those of us who do. What would happen if you died? How do you think we would feel? Or Wendy, Romeo, and little Asuka?"  
"I know...I should have said something...I'm sorry…" Natsu said quietly. "The reason I didn't was that I was trying to find a solution. Honestly, I couldn't think of a good one, so I made a decision."  
"Are you sure about that, my boy? Surely there is some way to prevent you from becoming something you don't want to be," Makarov told him with a worried look on his face. 'Natsu...my child...how much have you been harboring all alone all this time?'  
"I don't think there is, gramps, but thanks for worrying. I would ask around for help, but I don't really want word getting around that Zeref is my brother and I just so happened to have died and been brought back to life as the greatest and strongest Etherious to ever live. I feel like some people might not be as...understanding...as you three were."  
"I suppose that makes sense…" Makarov nodded with a sigh. "So, what did you choose."  
"Well, it was fairly easy actually. I chose both."  
That caused the group to once again comedically fall over at Natsu for picking an answer that once again made no sense and wasn't an option to pick.  
"Ok, and what does that mean? You're going to become some sort of dragonified-etherious hybrid?" Mira asked.  
"Essentially, yes. Anyway, as I was saying earlier, when Igneel was explaining the choice I had to make, he mentioned a few things that I didn't know. Apparently, Igneel was a dragon king, and thus I was a prince upon becoming adopted. Honestly, I should have realized that considering I learned Fire Dragon King Slayer magic… Anyway, now that he passed away, on top of the fact that I killed Acnologia who was a king himself, I can inherit the throne as King of the Fire Dragons. If Acnologia wasn't self-proclaimed, I'd be the king of dragons in general, but, as dad put it, 'that scaly, stuck-up, loud-mouthed, evil-doing, no good, punk-ass dragon' was never actually accepted as a King. Though that might be because he killed pretty much every dragon who could make him one."  
"Igneel called him…what now?" Lisanna deadpanned.  
"I said a scaly, stuck-up-"  
"I was being sarcastic, Natsu!"  
"Oh, right...sorry…"  
"Anyway, what does that have to do with choosing whether you're going to be a demon, a dragon, or both? Although, as if you needed any more admirable qualities, royalty is definitely a nice bonus," Mira said with a wink. "Be careful, Natsu, or someone might just snatch you up!"  
"Mira~!" Natsu whined. "I told you to stop doing that!"  
"Oh, you love it Natsu. Don't try to deny it!"  
"Stop flirting with Natsu, Mira!" Lisanna scolded.  
"What, you want to keep him all for yourself?"  
"MIRA!"  
"Ahem…" Makarov coughed uncomfortably. "Natsu, please continue."  
"Uh...right…" he said, fighting off his blush. "Anyway, since he was king, and now I'm king, I apparently have to go claim my throne or something. Although the throne has been empty for around four-hundred years, it should still be there. He gave me a general area of where to look, so I plan to go there. What I plan to do is claim the throne that was left for me by my father, and then fuse the two seeds within me into one."  
"Natsu is that even safe?" Lisanna asked bewildered.  
"That is the worst possible plan you could have come up with! You could die, Natsu!" Mira scolded.  
"Gee, thanks for your support, guys…"  
"Don't go there, Natsu! I support whatever you want to do, I just don't want you killing yourself because you didn't want to make a decision! As much as no one should have to make a choice to give up their humanity for something else, I refuse to let you die because of it!" Mira declared.  
"I'm sorry, Mira...There's…" Natsu sighed and rubbed his face in his hands. "There's just a lot on my mind these days…"  
"I know that, Natsu. That's what we're here for. Now, do you actually know that this plan of yours is going to work, or are you just guessing? And why do you have to claim the throne first?"  
"Well, the way I understand it is that, currently, my demon seed is stronger than my dragon seed. In most cases, the more powerful thing would just take over the less powerful thing, but this is a special scenario. You see, the demon seed uses curses, which is different from magic because it feeds off negative emotions. My guess is that because of this, is its weakness is positive emotions, therefore its power is being suppressed by my dragon seed, which strengthens with any kind of emotion."  
"So what just happened at the guild…" Mira started, worriedly.  
"Likely strengthened my demon seed, yes," Natsu replied, nodding with a frown on his face. "If either side takes over, it's extremely dangerous. It's very possible that if it takes over naturally, I would die from the loss of a part of my soul, or the seed that took control would fully change who I am. That's why I want to claim the throne. I want to use dragon fire to strengthen the dragon seed, making the two equivalent in strength, and hope that there is more information about it there."  
"So first of all...how did you come up with all this stuff? I know you're smarter than you let on...but this is incredibly advanced theoretical magical theory," Lisanna asked.  
"Theoreti-what now?" Natsu asked, confused.  
"It's-actually, nevermind, that's not important right now. Did someone tell you all of this stuff, or are you just guessing?"  
"Well, some of it was explained and I sort of filled in the gaps I guess. I know E.N.D is stronger than I am, because when it took over in the war I got a lot stronger, and I think it's stronger than Igneel, considering E.N.D was supposed to kill Zeref, and even my old man could never do that. I figured if it was so strong, it had to be stronger than the dragon seed, right? But then I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't just constantly take over if it was so powerful, and I think Mard Gear from the Tartar sauce guild-"  
"Tartaros…" Makarov corrected, muttering something about brilliant idiots.  
"Right, that. Anyway, he mentioned something about negative emotions controlling curses, so I figured the opposite of that must be its weakness. Igneel told me a bit about the Fire Dragon King's throne when I was in...what did you call it again? Limbo? Anyway, when I was there, he talked about what was there and he mentioned it had a history of the dragon civil war, the origin of dragon slayer magic, as well as some other boring stuff that I kinda forgot about." Makarov slapped his hand onto his forehead at this, but Natsu continued regardless. "But he also said that there were a bunch of drakes there. Since a king needs subjects, the drakes were a race brought up to be some sort of 'dragon army' or civilians or something. Anyway, drakes are like miniature dragons...kinda... They speak draconic, they can fly, they can use an element, my drakes would be fire obviously, and apparently they are extremely loyal to their king."  
"I don't even know where to start, Natsu…" Makarov sighed. 'Somehow, you come up with a brilliant theory that would put the bureau to shame, but can't remember the name of the guild that nearly killed you.'  
"I do! That sounds amazing!" Lisanna cheered. "Can I come with you? Please~?"  
"What? Why would you want to come with me?" Natsu asked, confused.  
"Because you're going to meet a bunch of fire drakes, probably become super powerful, become a king, claim a throne...do I really need more reasons?"  
"Lisanna just wants to become your queen," Mira said, before switching to more of a teasing tone. "But I think you might want a demon as a queen. A dragon and a demon would be a pretty powerful dynasty. Don't you think, Natsu?"  
"What's a dynasty?"  
The group sighed and decided to focus on things he could more easily understand and follow.  
"So, that's your plan, is it? Are you sure about all of that?" Makarov asked.  
"I am. I don't want to be a dragon, and I don't want to be a demon, but if I have to, I'll pick both. If I picked a demon, it would be a disgrace to the race of dragons and the magic gifted to me by my father, no matter if he tried to convince me otherwise or not. If I picked demon, it would throw away the work my brother did to bring me back, and I would be ungrateful to him for giving me this second chance at life. Besides, there's no guarantee I'd be alive and...well...me if I picked one anyway. Since I already have both cohabiting me all the time anyway, I figured if I could combine them, I have the best chance of nothing going wrong."  
"You truly are one of a kind, Natsu," Makarov said, shaking his head and smiling. "Are you sure you wish to travel on this journey alone? It will most certainly be one of the most dangerous things you've ever done."  
"Well, I won't be fully alone. I'll have Happy with me. I'd like to leave him here, since I don't want to take him from his family, but even if I did he would just follow me."  
"And if I do the same?" Lisanna asked, narrowing her eyes at him.  
"I would be forced to stay, and I trust that you wouldn't keep me from doing something I want to do. I refuse to take you from your siblings and the rest of Fairy Tail. You mean too much to me for me to be willing to do that," he told her, without a second a thought.  
"T-thanks, Natsu…" she said quietly, with a slight blush.  
"Well then, Natsu. You've made your decision?" Makarov asked.  
"I have. Thanks for understanding, gramps."  
"Anything you'd like for me to say or take to the guild?"  
"Just a few things. I wrote letters to a few of the members, so here you go," Natsu said, handing the master a small pile of letters, many of them with a strange bulk to them. "So, should the ceremony commence?"  
"Yes...of course, my boy…" Makarov said, trying to hold back tears. "As a now departing member of the Fairy Tail guild, you must swear to abide by these three rules! ONE!"  
"You should never share sensitive information about the guild with anyone so long as you shall live!" Mira announced, tearing up and standing by the master.  
"TWO!"  
"You must never contact clients you may have worked for while a member for your own personal gain!" Lisanna added, also crying with a smile on her face.  
"THREE!"  
"Although our path must stray, promise to live the rest of your life to the fullest. That means you must treat every day like it was your last day in this world. Never forget your Fairy Tail friends you loved, and treasure them for as long as you live," Natsu finished, a big smile on his face and tears in his eyes.  
"WAAAHHH! LISANNA!" Happy wailed, flying into the arms of the younger Strauss. "What if I never see you again? What if I never get to eat Mira's delicious fish again?"  
"Don't be ridiculous, Happy! Of course you'll see us again!" Lisanna replied, tightly hugging the little cat before whispering in his ear. "And call me mama, ok? Don't tell Natsu I told you that."  
"Aye, mama!" Happy whispered back, giggling.  
"How long have you been listening for, Happy?" Natsu asked, still with tears in his eyes.  
"I heard tartar sauce, and thought you were talking about fish…" Happy sniffled.  
"Why am I not surprised," Natsu said, rolling his eyes, before walking forward and embracing the group of Strauss' plus a cat. "I'm going to miss you both...so much. I didn't write you letters since I knew you would be here to see me off, but I'll make sure to keep in contact with you. Everyone got a little something from me, and I thought you'd appreciate updates."  
"That's hardly a gift, Natsu," Mira said, squeezing him tightly, trying to stop crying.  
"You better keep in contact, or I'll make sure Mira never makes another meal for either of you!" Lisanna declared, also squeezing tightly to the dragon slayer.  
"Can't...breathe…" Happy gasped out, being squished between the three mages.  
"Sorry, buddy!" Natsu said, saving the nearly unconscious cat. "Eh, he'll be fine. Goodbye, gramps."  
Makarov took Natsu's hand, giving it a firm shake. "Goodbye, my child. Remember, you are always welcome to return. Wherever life takes you, remember that you will always be a Fairy Tail wizard."  
"Of course! What do you think the ceremony was for?" Natsu asked, grinning. "Now take these two out of here before I change my mind. You ready to go, Happy?"  
"Aye, sir!" Happy announced, suddenly recovered.  
"Also, I told Wendy this as well, but all three of you are free to use this space as you want. If you want to move here, destroy it, turn it into a training ground, whatever you want."  
"Well, we definitely won't be destroying it," Mira said, sadly.  
"We could do some training here, I bet. And it's a nice place to get away for a while if we ever needed some time alone," Lisanna added.  
"Now what activities would you be doing here that requires you to be alone? My, my, Lisanna! I didn't know you were that adventurous!" Mira teased.  
"MIRA!" Lisanna shouted, her face glowing red. "THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"  
Makarov and Natsu both chuckled. "Alright, now get going. I'll keep in touch, yeah?"  
The group headed out of the hut, and the three remaining Fairy Tail mages watched as Natsu walked over the hill into the distance. They caught sight of him removing his guild mark, and just as he was about to be out of sight, he raised his right hand, forming an L-shape with his pointer finger and thumb.  
"I can't believe he's gone…" Lisanna sighed sadly.  
"It's rough, isn't it? How long have you been afraid of this, Lis?" Mira asked quietly.  
"You too? Since I went to Edolas. I missed you, big brother Elf, and Natsu to death, but my biggest fears were always never seeing you again, you guys blaming yourselves for my mistake, and Natsu losing his family."  
"Well, I'm glad he stuck around as long as he did, and I'm sure he'll always be thankful for what you did for him."  
"Thanks, big sis…"  
"So, I suppose we should head back to the guild now," Makarov said, sighing. "I think we should give Natsu a day to get ahead of everyone. I don't think there's anything I could do to stop people from going after him, so let's keep this between us for today. I'll tell them tomorrow afternoon."  
"That's a good idea, master," Mira nodded. "Do you have any idea where Gildarts is? He should find out about this too. Gildarts was like another father to Natsu."  
"I'm aware. Fortunately, he should be back relatively soon. One of these letters is addressed to him as well."  
"Who are the rest of them for?" Lisanna piped up. "I know he said he didn't write us one since he knew we'd be here with you, but I'm curious about the rest of them."  
"Well, let's see…" Makarov sifted through the letters. "Looks like one is for Wendy, there's one for Romeo, one addressed to the Connells, though that's probably mostly for Asuka, one for Gildarts, one that just says 'slayers'...I presume that's for Laxus and Gajeel…and this one just says 'guild'. I think that's what I'm supposed to read when we announce his departure."  
"He never was one for writing, was he?" Mira sighed, smiling.  
"Nope! He's the most brilliant idiot I know!" Lisanna replied, giggling.  
"Well, come on brats. We have other brats to get to, and you two have work to do."  
With Natsu  
"You sure you don't want to stay, little buddy?" Natsu asked.  
"Aye, sir!" Happy declared.  
"It'll be a long time before you can see Carla again. Plus, we won't be able to have fish with Mira and Lisanna will miss you a lot."  
"I know, and I'll miss them too! But mama has Mira and Elfman, and Carla has Wendy! So you can have me!"  
"Mama?" Natsu asked.  
"Aye! Mama Lisanna!"  
'When did...? Lisanna...now I remember why I love you so much…' Natsu sighed, giving a smile that was both happy and sad. "I guess you're right. Mama Lisanna has Mira. Why'd I get stuck with you?"  
"HEY! If anyone got stuck with anyone, I got stuck with you!"  
They continued to bicker as they walked off towards the horizon.  
The Following Day  
"Master! I demand to know what you've been hiding about Natsu!" Erza declared, walking up to the master who was having a drink at the bar. "Yesterday you said he wanted time to himself for the day, but you're hiding something and we have the right to know what's going on with our guild members!"  
Crash  
"What's wrong with Natsu?" asked a new figure, who came walking straight through the wall.  
"Ah, Gildarts! Good to see you!" Makarov said, greeting the crash mage. "Though I don't suppose you could use the door next time?"  
"Good to see you too, master! Now, where's my sweet little girl!" Gildarts switched from a casual greeting to a high-pitched cooing tone when he laid eyes on Cana. "Daddy's here to see you!"  
"Get off of me, old man!" Cana yelled. "You're gonna spill my morning barrel!"  
"I suppose I can't really keep quiet about it any longer," Makarov sighed.  
"What happened to Natsu?" Erza demanded.  
"Why are you concerned about Natsu? Did he finally stand up to you?" Gildarts joked. A flinch by the knight was all he needed to know. "Wait, he did? No way! And I missed it! I'm so proud of him! He's growing up so fast!"  
"Gildarts. Stop...please…" Mira hurried over, hushing the crash mage. "It'll all make sense in a minute, but this is serious."  
"Uh, ok? Sorry?" he apologized, perplexed.  
"ALRIGHT! LISTEN UP BRATS!" Makarov roared to the guild, gaining their attention. "I have an important announcement to make! First of all, if I call your name, please come up and retrieve your envelope! Wendy! Romeo! Asuka! Gildarts! Gajeel and Laxus, you two are splitting one!"  
"Yay! A letter for me!" Asuka shouted, running up to take her envelope from the master. "Open it, mommy! What's inside?"  
"Just a minute, sweetie. Let's see what the master wants first," Bisca replied.  
"This is from Natsu...isn't it…" Wendy asked sadly, and she teared up at the master's slight nod.  
"Who would write me a letter?" Romeo questioned, inspecting the outside of it as he walked back to his seat.  
"Why do I have to split with metal head?" Laxus grunted as he snatched the letter from Makarov.  
"Not like I enjoy this any more than you do, spark plug. From the smell of it, it's from Salamander," Gajeel replied.  
"Alright. I believe I'm supposed to read you this letter!" Makarov cleared his throat and began to read.  
Dear Fairy Tail,  
I'll get straight to the point I suppose. If you are currently reading this, it means I have left the guild. There are several reasons for this, no one action, event, or person is to blame. It was a buildup of a lot of little things over a large period of time. One thing my father taught me that I seem to have forgotten is that everyone has limits. I was always loud and crazy, and I have been since I can remember. That's why Igneel taught me to never take things too far and to know when people have had too much. I think I focused so much on not hurting other people, that I forgot to think of my own feelings. For a long time, I thought that these thoughts were selfish, so I ignored them, but recently I've had doubts. So I've decided that I've taken too much. Eventually, something as light as a straw will break the back of a camel. Wait...what is a camel anyway? It sounds delicious. But why would it be carrying straws? How weak do you have to be to break by carrying straws? Camels probably don't taste very good if they can't even carry a few straws. Anyway, back to the point. What I'm trying to say is that enough little things got to me for the years that I've been an active member, that I decided I wanted to travel elsewhere and do other things. Many of our enemies have fallen, but many of our enemies remain, so make sure to protect each other. Remain the family that I brought back together to defend Fiore against Alvarez and stay as strong as you can, because I know that's what Fairy Tail can do.  
Signed,  
Natsu Dragneel.  
There were several reactions to the letter. A few were confused about who he was talking about until he got to the point about Igneel, but most could tell right away. A few members were teary-eyed, a few were stoically sad, and a few were just shocked. When he started talking about camels, a few people chuckled and some fell over comedically at his misunderstanding of the phrase, but when the ending came, very few dry eyes remained. They were reminded of just how much Natsu's done for them, and that, in return, they pushed him away.  
"Those of you who received letters may now open them if you wish," Makarov said, fighting back tears as he headed for his office.  
And this is what the letters said.  
Gildarts,  
You're probably thinking I'm some kind of idiot right now, huh? Running away from my problems instead of dealing with them head-on? Well, there's a world to see, old man, and I think I'm gonna go see it! I'll remember everything you taught me, even the stuff about women no matter how uncomfortable it made me, and always carry it with me. You were like the father that I couldn't have, because Igneel sacrificed so much for me. Even though you were away a lot, even though I could never beat you in a fight, and even though your relationships with women will never make sense to us dragons, I'll always appreciate what you've done for me. And next time I see you? I'm gonna kick your ass to show you how strong I am! So you better prepare yourself, because just thinking about it has gotten me all fired up! Finally, my present for you. This has been my prized possession for years, but I don't think I'll need it anymore. It's a single scale from Acnologia, the only one I could find, since you guys sealed his actual body in some complicated magic thing and there was like a dimensional rift or something...I don't know, it was really confusing so I stopped listening after a while. I found this one on Tenrou Island after we were stuck in that other complicated time thing for seven years, and I felt like you deserved it. See you around, old man! And make sure you stick around the guild for Cana! She'll never admit it, but she loves it when you're here!  
Signed,  
Natsu Dragneel  
Gildarts smiled fondly at the letter, laughing when he read the parts about the...advice...he gave to Natsu about women. But his mouth gaped and his eyes widened when he found the scale in the envelope. That might be the single rarest item in existence, and Natsu just gave it to him. 'Well...I'll be…' he thought, inspecting the scale with a smile on his face.  
Wendy,  
So, it finally happened, eh? Please don't cry, you know I hate it when you cry. Who am I kidding, you're crying, aren't you? I'll beat myself up for making you cry later, but right now I have to figure out a way to get you to stop crying. Maybe a gift is in order? That should work, right? A present? Well, I got you one. Just a little something I made from the scale of Grandeeney. Cool, right? I don't know if you'll like it or not, but before the dragons went to say goodbye to all of you slayers, they stopped by me to honor Igneel. Apparently, he was a king, did you know that? That means I'm a king now! Anyway, that's not important. The dragons each gave me a scale and told them to give them to you as some sort of initiation ceremony or something? I really didn't understand it at the time, but I think I get it now. When I go to claim the throne, these are gifts to make you accept me as king or something like that. I don't really know, but I figured I'd have a necklace made out of it. Lucky I know slayer magic, because man are dragon scales hard to pierce! Hopefully, you like it, and yes that means I'm going to claim my throne, but don't tell anyone, got it? The other slayers, Makarov, Lisanna, and Mira all know, but that's it. Finally, my little cottage is available for you, Mira, and Lisanna to use as you see fit. Burn it to the ground, train in it, sleep there, I don't really care what you do with it. But it's the three of yours to do as you see fit. I'll always see you as the best little sister I've ever had, so keep your head high and your eyes dry, little dragon! Nomag dout suacoic versvesh vur dout vrelveli zexenuma, ihk batobot ui wer idol di wer darastrix! (May your winds blow strong and your talons stay sharp, for that is the way of the dragon)  
Signed,  
Natsu Dragneel  
Wendy was already crying before she started to read the letter, but as Natsu continued to beat himself up for making her cry, she giggled softly. As she saw the part about a scale, she gasped and started to cry even harder. After she finished reading the letter, not that she could understand the last part, she looked in the envelope, and sure enough, there it was. On a brilliant silver chain was a single shimmering white scale that had the unmistakable scent of Grandeeney. The necklace went down to her chest, and she smiled as she took deep inhales of the scale. 'Natsu...thank you…' Now all she had to do was figure out what that last sentence meant, and why he wrote it a language she couldn't really understand...  
To the Connells,  
Make sure Asuka is here. She's here now? Good, I'll start. Hey, Asuka. I'm really sorry about leaving you like this, and I hope you can forgive me for it. In fact, when I get back, I'll give you a piggyback ride for as long as you want and you can be in charge of me for a whole afternoon as soon as I have time for it. Hopefully, that makes you a bit excited and reminds you that I will come visit eventually, I just don't know when exactly. While I'm gone, I hope you can do something for me. I want you to keep smiling as much as you can. If there's one thing I've learned it's that everything is better when you smile. Especially you, because you have the most adorable smile ever and it brightens up my day every time I see it! Until next time, cowgirl! The last part of the letter is for Bisca and Alzack. Hopefully, you aren't too upset with me. I know I'm a bit reckless and I'm not the best role model, so I apologize if she picks up any of my bad habits, but I guess there's not much I can do about that now. I know I don't need to say this, but I will anyway. Make sure you two protect Asuka with everything you've got. Bisca; you're the best shot in the guild, and Alzack; you're no slouch either. Keep each other safe, and protect the best smile in the guild. For your gift, I was stuck between a few things, but I thought the best thing to do was to keep it simple. Just a stack of jewels. It seems pretty lazy, but I know you guys could use them more than anything else I could possibly get you. Between having to go on fewer jobs to having to pay for little Asuka, things get pricey. She deserves as much as you can give her, and you two deserve to have a little peace of mind for being such good parents. There's a few hundred thousand jewels in there. I don't know, I didn't count. Enjoy, and hopefully, I'll see you around!  
Signed,  
Natsu Dragneel  
Asuka had been crying since she learned that Natsu left, but she giggled slightly when she learned of Natsu giving her a piggyback ride and got a devious smile when she learned she gets to be in charge of him for a whole afternoon. So young and she's already got the curse of the female fairy...oh how proud Mira would be if she knew! Bisca smiled sadly while reading it, and was pleasantly shocked when she found the jewel in the envelope. All told there was around 500,000 jewels in there, which really would help. As usual, the best thing they could have asked for is what they got. Gifts were great, and they all loved them of course, but what the Connells really need was cash. Raising a daughter was expensive, and since they couldn't go on as many missions while taking care of her, their funds were low. Alzack was fairly quiet during the letter reading but he had a frown on his face and a distant look.  
Dear Romeo,  
How's it going, little bro? Yeah, I know, dodging the issue here...my bad. Anyway, I know there's not much I can do to convince you to not be angry at me, but just read the rest of this and hopefully, you'll forgive me a little bit. First of all, I'm really sorry. I know even if I did leave you'd have wanted me to do it in person...but for more than one reason I couldn't do that. Next, I want to make sure that you keep training as hard as you can. I'm not gonna be there, so who else is gonna protect the guild? Ice princess is weak, and metal head is busy munching on the silverware. We need a fiery force up front, so train until you can kick every bad guy's ass up, down, and sideways! I also wanted to apologize for some of the things I said about Macao. I don't know whether you're angry at me for saying what I said, angry at him for saying what he said, angry at no one, I have no idea. Emotions are confusing, but if you are going to be mad at anyone, make it at me, ok? I'm not the best role model you could have, but with all my flaws you still chose me. So I truly thank you for that, it means more to me than you could ever know. Try to cut back on my faults though, alright? Become a better version of me, and wield the mightiest flames you can! Lastly, before I say goodbye, I got you a little present. Want to know why my clothes don't constantly burn off because of my fire? Well, the secret is right in there. The only spell meant for slayers that doesn't require slayer magic to use. Anything you enchant with this will be completely fireproof. If you want proof, talk to Lucy. I melted the entire Domus Flau by accident but everything I wore was fine. Should be helpful for when you train to kick ass! Good luck, little bro, and stay fired up!  
Signed,  
Natsu Dragneel  
Romeo was a bit angry and agreed that he would've like Natsu to be there if he was going to leave, but mostly he was just sad that his idol and big brother figure was leaving for Mavis knows how long. Unfortunately for Natsu, Romeo didn't really care that he wanted Romeo to be mad at him and not Macao. Natsu was a great role model, and he has no right to say otherwise, so Romeo decided he was going to be mad at his dad for a little while anyway. He laughed at Natsu calling Gray weak and saying Gajeel would be busy eating spoons, and swelled with pride that Natsu ceded the guild's protection to him. The gift was a little strange, but for Romeo, it was perfect. It was the only magic that Natsu could truly impart, and it really would help with his training. With a smile on his face, he looked at the writing and decided he would figure out how to use the spell as soon as possible.  
Dear Metal Head and Spark Plug,  
Neither of you want me to be all sappy, so I'll keep this short and to the point. Laxus. You've been an asshole, but you've also been a great older brother and someone I've always strived to surpass. If I haven't yet, I will someday. Mark my words on that! I trust that you can protect the guild while I'm not there. Always remember the importance of family. No matter what I think of them, they are your family, and don't forget that again. Got that? Good. Alright, your turn rust bucket! Take that spoon out of your mouth and listen up. I want you keeping an eye on a few people for me. You don't have to try to do any special comforting, that would make everything worse so don't even try, but just keep an eye out for 'em. My list includes Wendy, Lis, Mira, and Levy. Keep your eyes on that mate of yours, and watch out for mine as well. Yeah, I'm not a moron, and I figured out why there are two, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Anyway, keep an eye out for them, will ya? Now the part for both of you. Gajeel I got you a scale from Metallicana. Don't eat it and don't pretend like you don't love it. He gave it to me after Igneel died and told me to give it to you as part of a ceremony or something...I don't know, it was confusing at the time. My guess is it was for when I claimed my throne. That's right, rust bucket! I'm gonna be the Fire Dragon King soon! Don't worry, I won't make you do too much! That's also why I 'get' two mates, though explaining that is going to be annoying and confusing as hell, assuming I get around to it... Alright, Spark Plug, your turn. This is optional for you, I honestly don't know if you'll want it or not because of the downside. I wrote a bunch of stuff on dragon customs down on the other few pages in the envelope there. You'll have to talk to Gajeel or Levy to read it because it's in draconic. Can't let just anyone learn this stuff, ya'know? The upside is you'll be more like us first or third generation slayers, and will be accepted as part of the dragon society if there are any more left, and that includes my kingdom when I finish claiming my throne. Speaking of which, keep that part quiet. Only Mira, Lisanna, Makarov, and Wendy know, so don't tell anyone about it. I guess you can tell Levy though, Gajeel, seeing as you kind of have to... The downside for you, Laxus, is that once I claim my throne, you will be duty-bound to listen to my commands if I tell you they are absolute, otherwise, it's seen as a challenge to the throne. It's explained better in the custom sheet, but you'll understand. All joking aside, I probably will never use the absolute commands. A dragon has pride, and I'm not going to abuse the power of a king for a cheap laugh, so don't worry about that, alright? Hope you trust me on that front. Anyway, hat's all from me, so keep the guild up and running for me.  
Signed,  
Natsu 'Salamander' Dragneel  
Laxus read the letter first and grunted in acknowledgment. He tried not to emote, but you could tell he was slightly happy that Natsu thought of him like that. More than anything, he was shocked when it came to his gift. Laxus didn't know that was a thing, but as a fellow dragon slayer, he was willing to give it a shot, even if it meant being duty-bound to serving that fiery-headed idiot.  
Gajeel read it next and chuckled a few times at Laxus' expense. He was rather surprised that Natsu chose him to keep an eye on his mates, almost as surprised as when he figured out that Natsu wasn't a complete moron and that he had two mates rather than one. All that came crashing down in comparison to how surprised he was when he read that Natsu was going to be a king, and he almost groaned in defeat that the Salamander was going to be even stronger and more annoying now, and might even have his own private army. Though at the end, he gave a genuine smile that pretty much only Levy had ever seen at the sight of a scale from his old man. 'Gi hi...Good work Salamander…'


	4. The Travels of a Dragon and his Cat

"Master! Why didn't you tell us before that Natsu was leaving?" Erza demanded.  
While the members of the guild that received letters were reading them, their reactions varying in emotions from tears, giggles, swells of pride, shock, and more, the rest of the guild was dealing with the news that Natsu Dragneel had actually left.  
"You can't really be surprised, Erza," Mira sighed. "He's been bottling everything up for years, and when it all comes out at once, it's hard to go back from that."  
"You knew about it too, didn't you?" she said with a glare at the demon. "Why didn't either of you tell us?"  
"What would you have done if you knew, my child?" Makarov asked sadly.  
"We would have gone and convinced him to stay by any means necessary," she responded confidently.  
"And that's exactly why we didn't tell you, Erza," Lisanna said, standing by her sister. "Because we know you guys and we know what you would have tried to do. He didn't want to stay at the guild, and you trying to convince him otherwise would have just made things worse."  
"How could apologizing to flame-brain make things worse?" Gray asked. "I admit it; I fucked up with that whole mecha-dragon thing. I never really thought about how much pain he would have been in before. I'm man enough to apologize to him, but I didn't think he'd run away."  
"He's not running away, Gray," Mira shot back with a glare. "And don't you think it's a little too late to apologize? How long has he been going through this? Leaving was the hardest decision he's ever made, and we can only hope it's the right one."  
"I can't believe he really left…" Lucy said with tears in her eyes. "I didn't mean to make him feel like that…He probably hates me now…"  
"Now now, child, I doubt Natsu truly hates anyone," Makarov consoled. "I feel as though Mira is right. He let everything bottle up for a long time and let it out. His conclusion was to find his own path in life. Perhaps it will lead back to Fairy Tail and perhaps it will lead to heights greater than we could ever imagine."  
"How could he not hate us after everything he said?" Lucy said between sniffles.  
"I agree with Makarov," Lisanna said. "He has every right to hate a lot of people here, especially Erza and Gray, but I don't think Natsu really has it in him to truly hate anyone. If anything, he just feels hurt right now."  
"Which is exactly why he needs to be with his family!" Erza argued. "We can find some way to make it up to him and fix it."  
"I'm not sure if that's wise, child," Makarov sighed. "I cannot stop you from going after him, but I highly advise against it. Not only will you not find him if he doesn't want to be found, but what good would it do if you did manage to find him? Attempting to return him somewhere he doesn't want to go won't help matters, if anything you'd make them far worse. He still has connections with many of us here, so while he may no longer be present, he will forever remain a Fairy Tail wizard at heart."  
"Maybe you're right…" Erza said sadly. "I'm still going to look for him while on missions...but I won't try to get him to come back...I just want to apologize."  
"I'll come with you," Lucy said, still crying slightly. "There has to be some way he'll forgive us."  
"Sure, we'll keep an ear out for rumors about a wandering flame-brain," Gray said with an attempt to lighten the mood.  
Gildarts, meanwhile, was still in shock admiring his gift from the departed slayer.  
"What'd he leave you, old man?" Cana asked, already through a full barrel for the day, trying to drink her emotions away the best she could. While able to convince herself that she wasn't the main reason the dragon slayer left, she couldn't help but feel partially responsible for driving her father's pseudo-son away from the guild. She'd always been slightly cold to him since he had such a good relationship with her father, even though she was the one that was too afraid to confront him for so long, and even after she did tell him she continued to needlessly put the pyro down. Maybe it was jealousy, maybe it was a habit, she didn't know. All she knew is that she felt guilty.  
"Nothing much, just this scale from Acnologia," he replied nonchalantly, trying to shock some of the members, and shock them it did.  
"WHAT?!" shouted several of the members around him, their mouths agape in surprise and disbelief.  
"HOW DID HE GET THAT?"  
"I THOUGHT WE SENT HIM TO ANOTHER DIMENSION OR SOMETHING?"  
"How did he even get this?" Cana asked, bewildered as she inspected the scale.  
"It says that he grabbed it on Tenrou after we were in stasis for those seven years. I guess one of the slayers knocked it off him in their fight. This is probably the single rarest item in all of Fiore, if not all of Ishgar!" Gildarts bragged. "Imagine how many women I could get by showing them this!"  
While Gildarts continued to daydream about the women he would be...indulging himself in...a few people approached Levy at her table, who was quite sad at the loss of the slayer.  
"Don't be too upset about it, Shrimp," Gajeel awkwardly tried to console her. "I'm sure Salamander will be back eventually."  
"I just feel like I should've done something more for him...He always helped me when I needed it, but I didn't really do anything for him," Levy whispered sadly.  
"I have an idea for ya, Shrimp," Gajeel said. "He left Spark Plug a scroll with draconian traditions, but they're all in draconic. He's probably too stuck up to ask for your help, but I'd bet Salamander'd appreciate you helpin' him out."  
"A-actually, he l-left something in d-draconic for me too," Wendy said, approaching the duo between sniffles. "It's at the end of my letter."  
"Did he?" Levy asked, suddenly much more excited at the chance to go back into draconic, having learned from books and with the help of Natsu. For some reason that she would never understand, he didn't mind helping her learn draconic and was actually the first one to introduce her to the language. Though he hated reading, which was explained to her fairly recently, which actually made her feel worse considering she never offered to help him, he never seemed to mind helping her understand the language, and even assisted her in making corrections in the very few translation guides she'd been able to scavenge.  
With a small flash of light, a relatively thick book appeared on the table. Over the short time following the war, Levy decided to learn requip magic. She knew she was more of a support mage than a fighter, and decided that it would help her a lot if she could carry around more research materials with her without having to physically carry the weight.  
"Let's see here... Nomag dout suacoic versvesh vur dout vrelveli zexenuma, ihk batobot ui wer idol di wer darastrix…" she quickly flipped through her book, writing down various things on a sheet of paper that seemed to have magically appeared from thin air. "Alright, I think I got it. It says 'May your winds blow strong and your talons stay sharp, for that is the way of the dragon.'"  
"Not too bad, Shrimp," Gajeel nodded. "You don't use your throat enough when you pronounce some of the syllables, but pretty good for a human."  
"Since when do you know draconic, Gajeel?" Levy asked, surprised.  
"Both Salamander and I know it from our dragons, Shrimp. The only reason the squirt doesn't is because she was younger than we were and didn't have as much time with hers. I'd say the same thing probably applies to those Sabertooth hotshots," Gajeel explained. "But anyway, that is a pretty standard dragon parting. It's the dragon equivalent of 'don't screw up' or 'make me proud, pipsqueak.'"  
"I suppose that makes sense...Go get Laxus and we'll start our first lesson!" she said enthusiastically, seemingly forgetting her previous sadness at losing the slayer.  
Asuka was being consoled by her mother while her father looked at the duo sadly, slightly disappointed in his distrust for the slayer. Romeo was currently avoiding his father, who was being consoled by his long-time drinking buddy, Wakaba. In the midst of all this chaos, the door shot open.  
"Fairy Tail! So COOL!" he shouted, entering, though even the ever-excited reporter caught the negative tone in the air. "Is this a bad time or something?"  
"Oh, hi, Jason…" Lucy said sadly, approaching the reporter, followed by the Strauss sisters and the master.  
"Lucy! My old reporter-in-training! What's going on here, is everything ok?" Jason replied with a mixture of confusion and concern.  
"Not really…" the blonde sighed. "Natsu l-"  
"Went on a mission!" Mira quickly interrupted. "It's a rather long mission, so we might not see him for a little while. Isn't that right, master?"  
"Of course, child. Now, what can we do for you Jason?" the old man agreed, quickly catching on to Mira's plan while Lisanna subtly covered Lucy's mouth with her hand. Ever since the rebuilding from the war began, Fairy Tail got to be on relatively good terms with the reporter. He'd been very respectful, thorough, and honest with his stories, and the various mages of Fairy Tail were very thankful for that.  
"Cool!" the reporter said after a moment to recover, fully fooled by their lie...somehow… "I actually came to get a follow-up interview with the Salamander! Ever since the first one, he's become super cool and they want another one!"  
"Wait, when did Natsu do an interview?" Lisanna asked since she couldn't recall Natsu ever being willing to do something like that.  
"About a month ago," Mira replied happily. "They came through and interviewed everyone, but Natsu's was the shortest. All the other slayers talked about him in the issue that week. Come to think of it, you always read Sorcerer Weekly, Lis, how did you miss that one?"  
"I'm not sure...hehe…" she replied nervously, blushing and scratching the back of her head. In reality, she had spent the afternoon at the hut where she and Natsu raised Happy talking to herself about how to ask out the slayer, and completely forgot about missing the issue until now.  
"So when is the Salamander coming back?" Jason asked again. "He's the coolest mage right now after everyone found out he destroyed Acnologia and was instrumental in Zeref's defeat! That was so cool!"  
"Yes...well…" Mira said nervously, looking to the master for help.  
"Yo, Lucy. Erza found a mission in Zinnia Town and we're gonna check with Sting to see if flame-brain might've joined up with Sabertooth," Gray said approaching the group.  
"GRAY!" the two sisters yelled, while the master just sighed and rubbed his forehead.  
"Salamander's joining Sabertooth? That's so COOL!" Jason said, enthusiastically writing something down on his notepad. "Why did he leave Fairy Tail?"  
Makarov muttered something about being too old for this shit before sighing and gesturing upstairs. "Lisanna, show him to my office please. I'll try to clear this up."  
"Ok, master. Follow me, Jason," she said with a fake smile, leading the reporter upstairs.  
"What were you two idiots thinking?" Mira shouted. "Why would you tell him that Natsu left?"  
"Why can't we? It happened didn't it?" Lucy said nervously.  
"Child, Natsu's been an active mage of Fairy Tail for years, and you know better than almost anyone what types of quests he prefers," Makarov began to explain.  
"Anything with a good fight?"  
"Exactly. And that is mostly bandits, dark guilds, and monsters. That means Natsu has a lot of enemies, who would love nothing more than to take this opportunity to take him out. Not to mention, people know about him now as the guy who took down Acnologia. Imagine how famous a dark guild could get if they managed to kill the legendary Salamander?"  
"Shit…" Gray muttered under his breath.  
Lucy gasped and covered her mouth.  
"Exactly. Not to mention the guild's reputation. As angry as I am with most of you, I don't like the idea of people hating our guild if word gets out about why he left. We could lose jobs, members, get protested, anything," Mira said angrily. "And as terrible as we would all feel, you know who would feel the worst? Natsu. He'd feel like he ruined all of our lives because he got upset and thought of himself for once, and that isn't true. It would be all of our faults for making him leave, and then our fault again for letting the press get wind of it."  
"I'll try to see what I can do about keeping this information in-house. I'm not sure if he left you and your sister a way to contact him, and you don't have to do tell me anything if you did, but if at all possible, see if you can talk to him. He's probably aware of all this already, but he needs to know that there's a chance that his leaving could put him in danger," Makarov informed the barmaid.  
"I'll see what I can do, but I don't think I can. You know just as well as I do that if he doesn't want to be found, no one will be able to find him," Mira said sadly.  
Makarov sighed and went up the stairs to meet with the reporter, and Erza left with an extremely depressed team to go on a mission near where Sabertooth was located to ask if there was any information about the slayer there.  
Just over an hour later, Jason emerged still chatting away with the master.  
"I hope I can count on your discrepancy, at least for a while. I understand you have a job to do, but this is about the safety of one of my children," he told the reporter.  
"I understand, Makarov. I can promise you that no one will know about this for at least a month, but I hope you understand that sooner or later rumors will start to spread. It's always better to get ahead of the story and tell the truth, rather than let the story get ahead of you and make up the truth," Jason told him.  
"So, I take it everything's taken care of, master?" Mira asked, smiling sweetly.  
"Of course, child. Jason here agreed that he will keep the fact of Natsu's departure to himself for some time and that nothing will be published for at least a month."  
"Mirajane! Have you given any more thought to my super cool offer?" Jason asked, returning to his excitable personality.  
"Oh, I don't know. Lisanna still isn't really sure about it. I'll talk to her," Mira replied.  
"Cool! If you get an answer, give me a call! That would be super cool!" With that, they wished each other a good day, and Jason took his leave.  
"What sort of offer did he make you?" Makarov asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"They want to do a photoshoot with me and Lisanna, but she isn't sure she wants to model," Mira told him. The master's eyes grew wide and he started to drool as he imagined all the gorgeous, sexy, ero- "You wouldn't be thinking any inappropriate thoughts about my sister, would you master?" He looked at the terrifying and sickly sweet smile given to him by the demon barmaid and immediately shook his head, sweat dripping down his forehead. "That's good. I wouldn't want to have to give you another lesson in etiquette with women."  
Makarov paled even further thinking about the 'lessons' she gave him on respecting the female members of the guild. With a shiver, he went back to his office.  
'Natsu...Please be careful…' Mira thought sadly. 'Speaking of Natsu...maybe that will convince Lisanna to come around…'  
With Natsu and Happy  
"Look on the bright side, Natsu! You don't have to ride transportation anymore!" Happy said excitedly.  
"Ugh...thinking about that is not helping, little buddy…" Natsu grumbled as the duo trekked through the forest.  
"So where exactly are we going?"  
"Right at the border of Fiore, Boscow, and Seven. Igneel said to start there and I'll know how to find it when we get there. But first, we're going to visit Lamia Scale."  
"That doesn't really make a lot of sense, Natsu…" Happy deadpanned. "Are you sure this place is even real? Wouldn't people have found it by now?"  
"Probably not, but even if they did, no one would believe them, assuming they got out alive, that is... No one but Lisanna and maybe Mirajane believed me about Igneel until after Gajeel and Wendy both joined, and even then most were skeptical until they actually saw him die…" Natsu said sadly.  
"What are we gonna do once we get there?" Happy asked, quickly trying to steer the conversation away to something more jovial. "Are you sure they'll believe that you're Igneel's son? Didn't you say that no one's been on the throne for four-hundred years?"  
"I guess we'll find out when we get there! I probably just have to beat them up or something. Maybe they'll recognize his magic."  
"Aye, sir! And if you're gonna be a king, who's gonna be your queen? Is it gonna be momma? She liiiiikes you!" Happy teased.  
"I'm not sure, little buddy," Natsu said honestly. "I'll either have two or none at all."  
"WHAT?" Happy shouted. "What do you mean two?"  
"I thought I told you this, Happy. Dragons pick their mates with their magic. Potential mates react well with their magic and are unconsciously attracted to each other, and over a period of time that can last anywhere from a month to several years, the magic starts to get attuned to each other. If it's successful, that means that person is your mate."  
"What does that have to do with two, Natsu?"  
"Well, since I'm a dragon king, my magic works differently. Dragon kings always have two mates, because a child capable of learning dragon king slayer magic was exceptionally rare. Only about a quarter of males and about a tenth of females could ever even use it. To make sure there was always a suitable royal dragon, they started taking two mates and just kept it that way. Dragon queens don't have that, because having more than one mate wouldn't affect how many offspring they could produce."  
"But you're a human, Natsu. Well, kind of a human. Mostly…"  
"I know that, but one of the things that dragon slayers get from their magic is mating practices. My stupid old man didn't tell me he was a king, so I never really knew until recently. The only person I've ever known to have more than one mate at a time was Loke, and he was a spirit and a pervert. Frankly, I'm just lucky that demons don't mate like humans do or that would screw everything up even more."  
"So since you're not a spirit, does that mean you're a pervert too?"  
"I AM NOT A PERVERT!"  
"Natsu's a pervert! Natsu's a pervert!" Happy chanted, giggling.  
"GET BACK HERE, HAPPY! HAPPY!" Natsu shouted, chasing after the giggling cat.  
That Evening - The Strauss Household  
The old Strauss house now held the two sisters, Lisanna and Mirajane. After the war against Alvarez, Elfman moved out to, as he put it, show how manly it was to own a house. Both of them knew it was to impress Evergreen so they could move in together, and Mira had an inkling suspicion that the two were already planning to do so, but neither had admitted it. So for now, it was just the two sisters sitting and talking amicably at the dinner table late into the evening.  
"Are you sure you're ok with this, Lisanna?" Mira asked her younger sister.  
"I'm no less ok with it than you are, Mira," Lisanna sighed. "I'll miss him a lot...but he needs to do what's best for him and if that's leaving us here, then-"  
"Don't put it like that, Lisanna. He was right to not bring us with him. The entire trip the guilt of taking us from the guild would break him down, that's just who he is."  
"I didn't mean to say it like that...I just really wish he would have stayed, you know? Tried to work something out."  
"Sometimes that just isn't possible, Lis. We should be happy that he's still our Natsu and they didn't push him any farther. Can you imagine if Natsu actually made Fairy Tail his enemy?"  
"I can't see him ever doing that," Lisanna said with a sad smile. "But we'd probably have to have Gildarts there or we'd be in a seriously tough fight."  
The two continued to chat, sharing various stories about their favorite pink-haired pyro until they both decided to head to bed. In Lisanna's room, she found something that she hadn't remembered being there before, which was an envelope and a small dragon figurine with a lacrima in its mouth.  
'Did Mira leave this here?' she thought, inspecting the foreign object. She opened the envelope and shouted for Mira as soon as she read the contents.  
"LISANNA!" Mira shouted, bursting into the room moments later. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"  
"Everything's fine, Mira," Lisanna said, smiling widely with tears in her eyes. "Here, look at this."  
"Is this from-?" Mira was cut off by a nod from her younger sister and broke out into a huge smile before reading the letter.  
Dearest Lis and Mira,  
I know I said I didn't have a letter for you two, but I felt bad so after you two left I wrote one for you anyway and had Happy sneak it in here. Do you know how many fish it took to bribe him to not just give it to you directly? There goes all my traveling money… Anyway, I promised you two that I would keep in contact, so I was going to give this to you once I'd been gone for a little while, but dammit if your tears don't make me weak. Plus, Happy didn't want to be away from talking to his 'momma' for too long. Nice touch, Lis... Anyway, I received this communications lacrima as part of the reward I got for a job at some point during the time when Lisanna was in Edolas. Man, those were some sad times, huh? Losing Lisanna and losing Igneel were the two greatest pains I've ever experienced, but something good came out of both. If Igneel hadn't left, er, gotten absorbed inside of me? I never would have been in Fairy Tail, and if Lisanna hadn't 'died' then Mira would have stayed behind that scary outer shell forever, wouldn't you have, Mira? I like this version of you a lot better. The real you. Where was I again? Oh yeah, I was given the lacrima to stay in contact with the employer, but she said I could keep it, so, of course, I customized them a little so now I have this awesome matching set. Well...you can't see that they match because I have the other one on me...but you'll just have to trust me. I'm sure you know how communications lacrimas work so I won't bother explaining them to you. You can call me anytime you want, just please for the love of Mavis don't tell anyone I gave this to you. I'm tempted to have you share with Wendy, but then I'd have to share with Romeo, which would lead to Asuka, which means Bisca and Alzack would know, so I just decided to leave it with you two. Anyhow, I'm expecting to hear from you soon.  
With love,  
Natsu Dragneel  
P.S. He LIIIIKES YOU!  
Signed,  
Happy  
Mira giggled several times throughout the letter, but the massive grin never left her face. "Uh, did you know that Happy could write, Lis?"  
"I wouldn't call that writing, Mira," Lisanna said, giggling. "I can barely make out what it says, but only because it's Happy. Natsu's handwriting may not be the greatest, but at least it's better than Happy's."  
"Oh, give the poor guy a break. He is a cat after all."  
"Still, I wonder who taught him that? Do you think it could have been Natsu?"  
"I'm not sure, Lis. Somehow I doubt it. Maybe it was Lucy? They spent a lot of time together. Maybe he just picked it up from her?"  
"You might be right. Natsu's never been one for reading or writing...though I don't blame him."  
"Enough chitchat! I want to talk to Natsu!"  
"Fine, big sis, we'll call your boyfriend now," Lisanna teased. Unfortunately for her, Mira was far more experienced at teasing and would win their round quite easily.  
"Oh? Letting me have him, are we? Very well, I humbly accept."  
"MIRA!" Lisanna yelled with a blush. "I'm not letting you have him!"  
"So you intend to keep him for yourself?"  
"I-I-that's not- I don't-" she stuttered before Mira started giggling.  
"Looks like I win this round, little sis. Now, let's call Natsu already."  
Back with Natsu and Happy  
"When is mama gonna call, Natshuuu?" Happy whined as the two sat at a campfire after finishing their evening meal.  
"As I told you the first twelve times you asked, Happy, I don't kn-" Natsu's reply was interrupted by a slight buzzing sound.  
"Yay! It's mama and Mira! I knew they'd call!" the exceed cheered, flying over to sit on Natsu's head.  
Natsu sighed and tapped the head of the small dragon figurine in front of him, which shot out a magical holographic screen in front of the two, showing the two sisters smiling at them.  
"HI, MAMA! HI, MIRA!" Happy cheered, waving excitedly at them. "We had fish for dinner today! And Natsu said we could have fish for dinner almost every day as long as we camp near a river!"  
"Nice touch having him call you mama, by the way, Lisanna," Natsu said with a smirk. "I don't seem to recall agreeing to that, but I suppose it would make me the father, now wouldn't it?"  
"If you two are going to flirt you could at least include me," Mira huffed while Lisanna's face just started to turn red.  
"I'm sorry, Mira, couldn't help myself," Natsu said with a chuckle. "So how have you two been? I'm assuming the guild knows and Erza's hunting me down to drag my unconscious body back to the guild?"  
"Not quite. She was quite upset that we knew in advance that you were leaving, and would have tried exactly that, but we managed to talk some sense into her. Your old team is going to keep an ear out for any rumors about where you are and where you're heading, but they won't be actively scouring for you. Apparently, she just wants to apologize," Mira explained.  
"Really? Wow, that's...actually impressive. I guess I owe you guys a thank you, since I won't have to be quite so meticulous about not leaving a trail. How did Wendy take it? Or Romeo and Asuka? I'm worried about them. Wendy and I both know what it feels like to be abandoned, and I really don't want to make them feel-"  
"Now hold on just one minute, Natsu," Lisanna scolded. "You did not abandon anyone. You made a decision to leave because it was the right decision for you to make. Don't beat yourself up over it now. Besides, you left something for them, didn't you? Which reminds me, how did you get all those scales without anyone knowing about it? That sounds like something you'd be shouting from the rooftops in celebration about."  
"Thanks, Lis...and normally you'd be right. The dragons that gave me their scales at Igneel's makeshift funeral said I would be using them as part of some ceremony thing, and as soon as I found Acnologia's we boarded a vehicle, although, after that, it was because of how dangerous having a scale from that monster would be. Imagine how much that one scale is worth? We'd be sitting ducks. So I just decided to keep it to myself, I think Happy was the only one who knew I had it."  
"Aye, sir!"  
"I should be surprised that you thought that far ahead, but somehow I'm not," Mira said with a chuckle. "Speaking of sitting ducks, the master told us if there was ever any way you got in contact with us to warn you. You know how many enemies you've made, and now that you aren't with Fairy Tail anymore, they're gonna be after you. Are you sure you're going to be safe out there with just Happy?"  
"I figured as much, to be honest. I've been thinking about what to do about it, seeing as eventually, people will find out I've left. I'd give it three months before I'm being tailed by half the country's dark mages."  
"About that…" Lisanna said sheepishly. "Gray might have accidentally slipped to Jason that you might be going to Sabertooth so he knows about it."  
"That stupid ice cube…" Natsu groaned. "So I've got a week? Give or take?"  
"Actually, you have at least a month. Master explained the situation, though I don't know to what extent, and Jason agreed to wait that long at the very least before making anything public," Mira told him.  
"Hmm...Well, that certainly changes things a bit. Did gramps give you any suggestions on what I should do about that?"  
"No, but Jason did. He said it's best to get the story out now, from an honest perspective, because eventually, rumors will start to spread and those rumors could be true or false. He said that once a story gets out, it's really hard to control it, so it's best to control the story before it has a chance to control you," she explained.  
"Actually...that makes a lot of sense. I was thinking about doing that anyway, but I really didn't want to."  
"Aye, sir! Natsu hates interview!" Happy cheered.  
"Can you blame me? They're so boring! And they don't feed you at all during the whole thing!"  
"So what should we do, Natsu?" Lisanna asked.  
"I think Mira should still be in contact with Jason, so why don't we do this. Tell him to meet me in Margaret Town, that's where I'm stopping next. Keep it extremely quiet though, no one outside of Jason and Makarov should know if at all possible."  
"Margaret? Isn't that where Lamia Scale is?" Mira inquired.  
"Aye, sir!" Happy exclaimed. "Natsu said they owe him a favor that he's gonna cash in!"  
"What kind of favor, Happy?" Lisanna asked the cat.  
"Natsu beat up Bluenote Stinger when he attacked with that other guild. What was their name Natsu?"  
"Hmmm...I think it was 'a munchy fig'," Natsu said after pondering for a few moments.  
'Somehow I doubt that…' both sisters thought, sweatdropping at his inability to accurately remember names. 'And why does it always involve some sort of food?'  
"Why would you much on a fig when you could munch on a fish? I bet it was called the munchy fish guild!"  
"But they were bad guys, Happy," Natus explained as if it were obvious. "They wouldn't name their guild after fish if they were bad guys."  
'Right...because that's why they wouldn't be called munchy fish…' the two thought again.  
"I guess that makes sense," Happy nodded as if Natsu had come up with a brilliant revelation.  
"So what are you asking them to do for you, Natsu? And why do you want Jason to meet you there?" Mira asked him, trying to steer the conversation back to something that made a little more sense.  
"I'm gonna ask them to deliver these to Sabertooth," Natsu said, holding up two envelopes. "The letters aren't very long in this one, but they have the scales in them. This is high-risk cargo, so I don't want to chance the mail system. I'd take it myself, but Sabertooth is kind of in the opposite direction I'm heading."  
"I guess that makes sense," Lisanna agreed, nodding her head.  
"And with Jason, I agree with him. So, honestly, screw it. I'll just do one of his lame interviews and we'll get all of this out of the way."  
"You're really willing to do an interview, Natsu?" Mira asked him, in shock.  
"I don't have too much of a choice now do I," Natsu said, sighing. "If it was just me then I wouldn't care. As long as people aren't using my name to commit crimes, I don't really care that much about my reputation. I know what I've done, and the people important to me know too, so the rest of the world's opinion doesn't matter. Now though, I have both Happy and Fairy Tail to worry about. As angry as I am at the guild as I am, especially Erza and Gray, if word got out about what they did Fairy Tail's reputation could go down the drain."  
"Aye, sir! How would mama be able to come visit us if she didn't have a job?" Happy cheered.  
"She also couldn't afford to buy all your fish, and how would Mira cook for us with no fish?"  
"You know, Natsu, you are the most brilliant idiot I know," Mira teased.  
"Aye, sir!"  
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"


	5. Dragon Tales

Having finished his celebratory meal and round of drinks with the Lamia Scale guild, he bid them a good day, thanking Lyon for his taking the job and Chelia for watching Happy, and left to meet up with Jason for his interview.

'Ugh…' he thought in a groan. 'Why did I decide to do this again? This could take hours!'

The two agreed to meet in the lobby of one of the nicer hotels in Margaret, and the interview would take place in a suite there. Most of the time, apparently, interviews were done in Crocus where Sorcerer Weekly was produced, but they made an exception for a story this size.

Trudging his way through the bustling town, Natsu made his way over to the Pedalberry Hotel; a chain of hotels known throughout most of Fiore. He had only been stopped twice on his way this time, once for a handshake and once for a picture, until he finally entered the lobby. It was a nice hotel, large and well lit, with comfortable seating decorating the lobby. There were two clerks on duty at the time, and Natsu found Jason waiting for him on one of the chairs near the entrance.

"Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander! Cool!" Jason exclaimed, quickly approaching the fire mage and shaking his hand aggressively.

"Hey, Jason," Natsu replied casually. "So, are you ready? And how long is this supposed to take?"

"Of course, Mr. Salamander, follow me and we can get started. The interview can go anywhere from an hour to five or six. It depends on how thoroughly you answer the questions," Jason replied, leading Natsu to the stairwell. Fortunately, or unfortunately in some cases, it was a rather well-known fact that the dragon slayers' ultimate weakness was transportation, so the reporter didn't even bother with the elevator.

"Just call me Natsu."

"Cool!"

The two ascended the stairs for several minutes, making idle chatter, though most of it was Jason explaining to Natsu how an interview would work, and Natsu trying not to cancel his decision and run away as fast as physically possible. Eventually, they reached their floor and made their way to the suite.

The suite, in layman's terms, was massive. The main room alone was near the square-footage of Natsu's entire Magnolia cottage. The kitchen was attached, and it contained a massive refrigerator, a large stovetop, two ovens, more than enough marble countertop space, a lacrima powered dishwasher, and a large sink.

In the main room, Jason had set up a space where the interview would take place. There were two comfortable-looking chairs facing each other, each with a round side table next to them, and enough distance to properly stretch one's legs if needed. Jason's table sat a glass of water, a large notepad, a lacrima powered audio recording device, and a pen, while Natsu's simply held a glass of water.

"Alright, Mist-Natsu, are you ready to get started?" Jason asked, leading Natsu to his seat and taking his own.

"I guess so," Natsu sighed.

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed enthusiastically and started the audio recorder. "Alright, Natsu, my first question. Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself when you were growing up? Where did you live, was it true that you were raised by a dragon, maybe share a fond memory with us, anything like that."

"Sure. Yes, it's true that I was raised by a dragon. When I was younger, my father, Igneel, found me wandering around the forest alone. He took me in and raised me as if I was his own child," Natsu explained.

"Do you remember anything about your life prior to meeting him? And how old were you when Igneel found you?" Jason asked.

"Not really," Natsu answered. He wasn't exactly lying, however, he wasn't telling the truth. Telling the world that the Black Wizard Zeref was actually his brother, that he was sent to this time period from 400 years ago, and that he had actually been killed was probably not a good idea. "I get a few hazy memories every once in a while, but I honestly can't remember anything. Maybe my parents abandoned me, but I believe that I was meant to find Igneel, and that they truly loved me. To answer your second question, I don't know how old I was. To tell you the truth, I didn't even know that birthdays were something that humans celebrated until after I joined Fairy Tail. Dragons live extremely long lives, so it's not something that they really celebrate. Heck, I don't even know how old I am now!"

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed for some reason. "Why don't you tell us a little bit about Igneel. What was he like?"

"He was a stuck-up overgrown gecko!" Natsu declared, chuckling to himself. Somewhere in the vastness of space and time, where dragons go to die, a large red dragon sneezed and felt a strange sense of anger. "But he was also the best father I could have ever asked for. He was kind, understanding, and comforting to be around. His training was strict and difficult, but he loved me unconditionally, and always told me that no matter what happened he was proud to be my father. I'm truly glad to have met him."  
"He sounds wonderful, Natsu. Do you have any stories from your time with him that you'd like to share with us?"

"There are a lot of stories with him. He taught me how to hunt, how to use magic, all about dragon history, culture, and traditions, as well as the draconic language. I remember when he tried to teach me Fire Dragon's Iron Fist he was standing on the ground, but he tripped and fell over backward. From then on he was always airborne whenever we were learning a new spell," Natsu explained laughing.

Jason chuckled as well, imagining a massive dragon tripping over its own foot and falling over. "Is there anything else we should know about Igneel?"

"Hmmm...Well, he was the Fire Dragon King. I guess that's something," Natsu commented after thinking for a minute.

"If he was a king, and you are his son, does that make you a prince?" Jason asked in shock.

"Well, if we are using human terms, then I would be king because Igneel is no longer with us," Natsu told him sadly. "But as of right now I am not recognized as a king in draconian culture."

"And why is that?" Jason asked, still processing that he may or may not be speaking to not just royalty, but royalty of perhaps the strongest race ever to walk or fly Earthland.

"That's a secret. Can't go telling just anyone our culture and traditions, can I?" Natsu answered, grinning.

"Er, I suppose not. Well, let's move on, shall we? How did you join Fairy Tail?" Jason asked.

"On the 7th of July in the year X777, all five dragon slayers that were raised by dragons were left on their own throughout Fiore. Sting, Rogue, Gajeel, Wendy, and myself. That was the day they left us on our own. While I was wandering the forests searching for Igneel, I ran into master Makarov. He invited me to join Fairy Tail to help me find him, and I never regretted joining," Natsu explained.

"If I may ask, how come all of your dragons left you on the same day?" Jason asked, somewhat confused.

"Well," Natsu answered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "It's kind of hard to explain. Let's just say it was for our own good, and none of us bare any hatred towards them for what they did."

"Uh...right…" Jason deadpanned. "So, you joined Fairy Tail. What were your first impressions of most of your fellow guild members?"

"Well, ice princess was a prick," Natsu nodded casually, earning a sweatdrop from the reporter. "But he made a great rival. I always had someone to beat up to practice my fighting skills. Mirajane was rather...devilish...back then, but she had a rare moment of sweetness from time to time. People nowadays probably only know her as she is now, which is one of the nicest and kindest members of the guild, but back then, she was terrifying. Erza was...well she was Erza. I thought of her as an older sister of sorts, I suppose, and I looked forward to surpassing her. Lisanna became my closest and best friend for years, and I think that she was the best part of my first few years in Fairy Tail. Her and finding Happy, of course."

"Cool! Why don't you tell the story of how you met Happy?" Jason asked.

"Well, after getting my ass handed to me by Erza one too many times, I went into the forests to train a bit. After punching a tree a bit too hard, a giant egg fell on my head. I brought it back to the guild because I thought it was a dragon egg," Natsu chuckled sheepishly. "What can I say? It was big, it had swirls on it, and I was desperate. Anyway, Lisanna and I built a hut on a cliffside overlooking the sunset and we played house for a while keeping the egg warm. It was a lot of fun. One morning, Elfman apparently snuck out and took the egg because he thought we wouldn't keep it warm enough. That bastard...We found him in the guildhall, and after a little bit, it hatched! Turns out, it wasn't a dragon, but it was Happy!"  
"Wow! That's quite a story!" Jason commented. "Why did you name him Happy?"  
"Well, before he hatched everyone was arguing and fighting. Afterward, when he hatched, Lisanna noticed that everyone suddenly got happier. She said something about him being 'a little bluebird of happiness,' so I decided to name him Happy," Natsu explained.

"Cool! Ok, why don't you talk about some of your favorite missions you've been on while at Fairy Tail?"

"Oh, buckle up! There are a bunch of them!" Natsu went on to explain most of his escapades that have occurred since he met Lucy. He talked about beating up Erigor and Lullaby, stealing an S-Class quest, defeating the Oración Seis, defeating Grimoire Heart during the S-Class trials, even though that technically wasn't a mission, and fulfilling a quest to defrost a village that was given to him by name by none other than one of the Gods of Ishgar.

"Cool! Those are quite some tales!" Jason exclaimed, surprised at the detail of some of his stories. "So it turns out that you're responsible for protecting Fiore from many threats we didn't even know were out there."

"Well, I don't know about that," Natsu sheepishly told him. "Besides, I couldn't have done anything without my team, Fairy Tail, and the rest of the various allies we've had over the years."

"Cool! So, now I have probably the most important part of the interview. Is it true that you are no longer a member of Fairy Tail?" Jason asked.

"Yes, that is true," Natsu admitted with a sigh.

"Why is that? You've been a member all your life. How come you're suddenly leaving now? Were you kicked out?"

"I definitely was not kicked out," Natsu clarified. "There were a lot of reasons I left, some were little reasons and some were bigger reasons. I think the best way I can put it is that even Happy can only carry so many fish before he can't fly anymore."

"I don't follow…" Jason deadpanned.

"Something about camels and straw, but I don't like the expression because I don't know what a camel is or why they would be carrying straws in the first place."  
"I think it means straw, like, what horses eat, not straws as in what you drink out of," Jason awkwardly explained. "And the expression is 'the straw that broke the camel's back.'"  
"I guess that would make a little more sense," Natsu nodded, agreeing. "But yeah, it was a lot of little things that built up over the years. If I told you some of them, they sound trivial, but after the eightish years I've been a part of the guild, I got tired of it. One of the bigger reasons I suppose is because the reason I joined in the first place was to find Igneel, and I can't do that anymore."

"How come you can no longer search for Igneel, if you don't mind me asking?" Natsu briefly explained the Tartaros incident, only including some of the more important parts. He did, however, explain that the dragons sealed themselves inside the children to extend their own lives and that they were the true saviors of Ishgar from Tartaros, leaving out the dragonification portion of dragon slayer magic.

"I'm terribly sorry about your loss, Natsu," Jason apologized. "But I'm sure everyone in Fiore is eternally grateful for their sacrifices."

"Thanks, Jason."

"Would you care to talk about some of the little reasons you left Fairy Tail, Natsu?" Jason pressed.

"I really don't want to get into detail or name any names, Jason. I suppose one of the first things from a long time ago was that when I first joined I got made fun of a lot because no one but Lisanna believed that I was raised by a real dragon. That sounds silly when I say it out loud, but I was just a kid and it hurt me at the time. Little things like that build, and eventually, it started to get to me."  
"So would it be safe to assume you are on bad terms with Fairy Tail?"  
"Definitely not," Natsu firmly denied. "Part of the reason I'm doing this interview is to make absolutely sure that nothing bad happens to Fairy Tail because of any rumors that might spread when word gets out that I left. It is true that there are certain members that I am not currently on the friendliest of terms with, per se, but there are many more that I hold dear to my heart and mean the world to me. For example, master Makarov. He has always been a fantastic guild master; wise, strong, kind, and caring to every member. There are many more members as well, of course, but I really don't want to name too many names. Parting with a guild will never end perfectly, but even those who I am not on perfect terms with I don't wish anything but the best for."

"I understand that, Natsu. So, as of now, how would you describe Fairy Tail?"  
"Even after everything, I would say that Fairy Tail is a family that you can turn to. They are a group of strong, loyal, compassionate people who will stand behind what they believe is right no matter what. I wouldn't be who I am today without them behind me every step of the way, and I'll forever be grateful for that."

"That's very well put, Natsu. It's good to know that even after leaving, you care so much about your old guild."  
"Of course!"

"So, now that you've left Fairy Tail, what will you do now? Some rumors say you plan to join Sabretooth. Is that true?"  
"Nope! While I do have a plan, it's a big secret that only a select few know about! I will tell you that I don't plan on being part of a guild for the foreseeable future."  
"Wow! So you're planning on becoming an independent mage?"

"Something like that."

"I have to ask, what does that mean in relation to the Grand Magic Games? If you won't be a part of a guild, does that mean you won't be attending? I believe the next one is scheduled in nine months, as it was delayed due to the Alvarez War."  
"I'll have to see. Even if I don't participate, I'll definitely be in attendance. They're always so much fun! What do you think I should do, Jason?"

"Me?"  
"Yeah! There's gotta be something cool I could do."

"Well, maybe you could be a commentator. That would be the coolest!"

"A commentator? I guess I could do that," Natsu nodded in consideration.

"Perhaps you could take part in some exhibition matches?"  
"What's an exhibit sun?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Exhibition. It basically means 'unofficial,'" Jason explained. "So they would put you in a few battles for entertainment purposes, rather than fighting for points."

"Oh! I could do that. I just had one of those against Jura a little while ago."

"You fought Fourth Wizard Saint Jura Neekis?" Jason asked, shocked.

"Is that where he's ranked now? Eh, who cares. Yeah, he was a lot of fun!"  
"So, did you win?"

"Not quite. We called it a draw after about an hour or so."

"That's so cool!" Jason exclaimed. "So, I have one more question for you. With you having left Fairy Tail, do you still believe that it's the strongest guild, or do you think that another guild will pass you? Perhaps Sabretooth has a chance?"

"That's a good question, actually. I'd still say Fairy Tail is the strongest guild, although Sabretooth is extremely close. Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel are probably right behind them in my opinion. Both have incredible mages, such as Lyon, Jura, and Kagura. After that, I'm not sure. Blue Pegasus has been very strong, and Quatro Cerberus is definitely not slouching either. Who knows, though? Maybe an up-and-coming guild will take the spotlight!"

"Sounds like you've put quite a bit of thought into this, Natsu," Jason commented.

"Not too much, but I do have to know the competition. Besides, I've worked with a lot of mages from most of those guilds before, so I know a lot of their strengths relatively well."

"Cool! Would you like to leave any personal messages with us today? Call out anyone special or send a message to anyone?"  
"Hmm…" Natsu thought for a moment. "I guess a few. I don't want anyone to think differently of Fairy Tail; whether I'm there or not many of them are still my family, and I wouldn't appreciate anything happening to them. Personal messages? I guess I'd like to say 'hello' to Hisui. I haven't had a chance to visit Crocus in a while, but from what I've heard, she's going to make a great Queen soon. Thanks to Sting and Rogue for helping me out over the time I've met them, I really appreciate what they've done for me and admire how they've improved Sabretooth. Finally, for Wendy, Romeo, and Asuka from Fairy Tail. I hope you three are doing alright with me leaving. When I come to visit I expect each of you to have grown even more than you have already."

"Those are some wonderful messages, Natsu. Good to hear," Jason said. "Alright, well, that's all I have for the interview today. Thanks so much for doing this."  
"No problem," Natsu answered, shaking the reporter's hand. "Now I have to get back to Happy before he eats every fish in Margaret Town. Do you know when all this will be published?"

Jason chuckled. "Well, considering how long the interview was, we could probably print multiple issues. I would say we'll print an issue every week for about a month, but after the second we'll sell the full interview's recording. Does that sound alright with you?"  
"Sure. See you around, Jason," Natsu waved.

At Sabretooth

Lyon, carrying the two envelopes he got from Natsu, approached the Sabretooth guildhall. It was an easy mission with no complications to speak of; just a quick train ride from Margaret Town to Zinnia town and a walk from the train station to the guild. Needless to say, he lucked out on an easy mission with solid pay.

Lyon walked into the hall to a large crowd of mages hanging out. Many were at the bar, several groups were sitting around various tables, and a handful were inspecting their mission board.

"Hello! Welcome to Sabretooth," Yukino greeted, smiling. "You're Lyon, right? Anything we can do for you?"  
"Ah, yes. It's Yukino?" Lyon asked, getting a nod in response. "I have a delivery for Sting and Rogue. Could you show me where they are?"

"Sure!" Yukino replied happily, leading the ice mage through the guild. "Sting's in his office, and I would assume that Rogue and Minerva are with him. What's the delivery?"

"I'm not really sure. Natsu stopped by Lamia Scale and requested one of our mages personally deliver these letters to Sting and Rogue," Lyon answered, holding out the two envelopes.

"Natsu? Why didn't he just come himself?" Yukino asked curiously.

"He said he was going in a different direction," Lyon shrugged.

"I suppose that makes sense, but wouldn't he just ask someone from Fairy Tail to do it?" she questioned, knocking on the door to Sting's office. "They should be in here."

"Come in!" came a response.

"There are complications with that," Lyon answered her, following the celestial mage into Sting's office. It was a standard guild master's office; a desk overflowing with paper, a few chairs, a few desk toys, and various wall art to decorate it. As Yukino predicted, Sting, Rogue, and Minerva were all seated in the office, making it a tight fit for the five people that were now present.

"You're Lyon, right? What can I do for you?" Sting greeted, shaking the ice mage's hand.

"I have a delivery for you and for Rogue," Lyon stated, handing one letter to the shadow dragon slayer and one to the light dragon slayer. "They're from Natsu."

Sting nodded. "I see. Thanks for bringing these to us."

"Aren't you curious as to why he sent a Lamia Scale mage, Sting?" Yukino asked curiously.

"No, not really," Sting admitted, opening his envelope. "Natsu left Fairy Tail a little over a week ago."

"WHAT?" Yukino and Minerva shouted.

"It's true," Lyon nodded. "He said he isn't planning on joining a guild for the foreseeable future, and that only a few people know his plans. He mentioned something about when it's time, all of Fiore will know about it."

"I wonder what that means?" Minerva wondered aloud.

"I hope Natsu will be alright," Yukino worried.

"OH, HELL YES!" Sting shouted, giving a giant grin. "THAT'S SO COOL! I KNEW NATSU WAS THE BEST!"

"This is rather amazing, isn't it?" Rogue agreed, smiling.

"If I may ask, what is in those letters? He wouldn't tell me, he just said that it contained 'extremely valuable cargo,'" Lyon asked.

"Here, I'll read the letter," Sting answered and cleared his throat.

Dear 'Master' Sting,

Hey, how's it goin' man? By now you've probably heard that I left Fairy Tail. Thanks again for what you and Rogue did for me, it meant a lot and really made me think about things. I probably told Gramps about what you talked to me about, but I think he'll understand that you weren't doing anything malicious. I'm extremely grateful. Now, I should probably get to the two reasons that I wrote this letter to you. The first is to say that I don't plan to join Sabretooth. I do have a plan, but it doesn't involve me joining another guild for the foreseeable future. I appreciate your offer, and I can honestly say that I would join Sabretooth if I planned on joining a guild, however, that isn't the case. The second reason is to give you this gift. After Igneel passed away, all the dragons flew over to pay their respects. Each of them gave me one of their scales, and they told me to give them to you as part of some sort of initiation ceremony. I wasn't sure what that meant at the time, but I have a better understanding now. Apparently, Igneel was the Fire Dragon King, which means that I will inherit the throne. So, my guess is I'm giving you these as gifts, and then you will become my dragon slayer underling army! Hahahhaha! I'll see you around, man! Next time I see you, maybe I'll invite you to my court!

P.S. Tell Yukino I said 'hello!' Miss you guys!

Signed,

Natsu Dragneel

Silence hung around the room thickly until Sting broke it.

"Isn't that awesome? Not only did he get me a scale from Weisslogia, Natsu's going to be the Fire Dragon King!"

"Natsu is going to be a king?" Lyon asked nervously.

"This is either going to be the best thing or the worst thing that has ever happened," Yukino said, chuckling.

"What about you, Rogue. What does your letter say?" Minerva asked.

Dear Rogue,

Hey, man. Thanks again for what you and Sting did for me, I really appreciate it. By now, you no doubt know that I left Fairy Tail. With that said, I have two messages for you in this letter. The first is that while I appreciate your offer to join Sabretooth, I will sadly decline. I don't plan on joining any guilds for the foreseeable future, however, if I did plan on joining one, it would definitely be Sabretooth. The second is a gift I have for you. After Igneel passed, the other dragons came over to honor him. Each of them presented me with one of their scales to give to all of you as some sort of initiation ceremony. I didn't understand at the time, but I think it has to do with Igneel being the Fire Dragon King. Now I plan on trying to claim the throne that's been empty for four-hundred years, so I will give out the scales to their true owners. Hold them with pride. I know Sting will probably be freaking out a bit, so calm him down for me. Guild masters are supposed to be old, grouchy, and boring like gramps, not crazy like I am. Hopefully, next time we meet, I'll be the Fire Dragon King!

Signed,

Natsu Dragneel

"I'm not crazy!" Sting protested.

"I beg to differ…" Minerva deadpanned.

"What did the two of you do for Natsu?" Yukino asked.

"Remember when we visited Fairy Tail a few months ago? Rogue and I heard some of the things that Natsu had been through, so we talked with him about it. Apparently, he'd never given it much thought," Sting explained, earning a nod from the shadow mage.

"What do you mean by that?" Minerva asked curiously.

"Erza is apparently far worse than any rumor has ever said," Rogue said, shaking his head. "She beats anyone who disobeys her to the point where she is their main reason for having an infirmary."

"That wasn't the only reason, but that's what got us curious," Sting agreed. "We dragon slayers have amazing hearing, and I don't think the Fairy Tail members remember that, which makes no sense seeing as they have three slayers."

"She's that bad?" Yukino gasped.

"Even we didn't beat our members, we just kicked them out after humiliating them," Minerva nodded. "Sorry, Yukino…"

"It's ok, I forgave all of you a long time ago," Yukino smiled. "But what does dragon slayer hearing have to do with anything?"

"Well, they talk about him. A lot. It's not fun to hear every snide comment that people make about you day in and day out. I think that's why he spent so long fighting and why he lived in the woods. It was how he coped with it. Unfortunately for him, his way of dealing with people constantly talking about him got him beat badly enough to go to the infirmary constantly," Sting sighed. "Anyway, there was more than that, but that's the short and simple. Rogue and I talked to him about it and invited him to Sabretooth if he wanted, and he admitted that he wasn't really sure and would give everything some thought. Guess he decided to leave after that."

"That's quite a lot," Lyon commented.

"Undoubtedly," Rogue agreed.

"Thanks for bringing these, Lyon. You can tell people about the scales, but everything else is confidential. Is that alright with you?" Sting asked.

"Of course. Thank you for your time," Lyon bowed and saw himself out.

"That goes the same for the rest of you, but since I'm your guild master, I can just order you to do that," Sting said smugly.

"Is this because Natsu is going to be king soon?" Yukino asked, commenting on his newfound smugness.

"It will probably only get worse," Rogue sighed.

"HEY!"

That Evening with Natsu and Happy

"Hey, Natsu! How'd your interview go?" Mira asked from the communications lacrima.

"Actually, it went pretty well. It was really boring though," Natsu groaned.

Lisanna giggled. "You think everything that doesn't involve food or fighting is boring, Natsu."

"That's not true! I like...uh…" Natsu argued, thinking for a moment.

"Fish!" Happy exclaimed.

"That's food, Happy," Mira told him.

"Fishing?"

"Yeah! Fishing!" Natsu declared, confident that he had successfully defended himself.

"Ok, Natsu," Mira giggled.

"What did Jason ask you about?" Lisanna asked.

"All sorts of things. Igneel, Fairy Tail, leaving the guild, the Grand Magic Games, existential matches, stuff like that," Natsu answered.

"Existential matches?" Mira questioned, thoroughly confused.

"Yeah. He said that they don't count," Natsu explained.

"I think you mean exhibition…" Lisanna deadpanned.

"That too," Natsu replied, earning another sweatdrop from the two mages. "He also suggested I could be a commentator. That'd be pretty fun, wouldn't it?"

"You should definitely do that!" Mira agreed, nodding her head.

"How cool would that be? Natsu knows a lot of the top mages from most of the strongest guilds, so he would be able to add a personal touch to it," Lisanna said. "That would make the games so much more fun to watch!"

"You think so? I'll have to make sure Happy can come too, though."

"Aye, sir!"

"So when do we get to see your interview, Natsu?" Mira asked.

"Jason said that they would publish four issues on the interview, and after the second they would sell the audio of it," Natsu explained.

"How much are you making?" Lisanna asked.

"Am I supposed to make something?"

"Natsu, you didn't agree to do the interview for free, right?" Mira questioned.

"Of course I did! I don't need the money, and I did the interview for Fairy Tail, not for myself."

"I guess that makes sense, but you still should have asked for something," Mira sighed. "I can talk to him and probably get something out of them."

"You don't have to do that, Mira. I told you, I don't need the money."

"Where are you going now, Natsu?" Lisanna asked, changing the subject.

"Blue Pegasus. I'd like to talk to Hibiki a bit, and I wanted to thank them for their help with Acnologia," Natsu explained.

"What do you need with Hibiki?" Mira inquired.

"He has archive magic. I'm hoping he can look for any information on where the Fire Dragon King's throne might be located. I have a general idea, but I'd like to see if any more information is out there."

"Really thought this stuff out, haven't you, Natsu? Isn't that a bit too much thinking for you?" Mira teased.

"Aye! Natsu's an idiot!" Happy agreed.

"HEY! I AM NOT!" Natsu yelled back, earning chuckles from Mira and Lisanna.

"So, when can we come visit you?" Lisanna asked.

"It's only been a week! I've been on missions that were longer and we didn't have any contact then!"

"Are you saying you don't want to see me?" Lisanna asked, pretending to tear up.

"Wait, hold on a second! I didn't say that!" Natsu denied quickly.

"Good," Lisanna answered, smiling. "So, when can we come visit?"  
"You did that on purpose…"

"Yes, now answer my question!"

"Fine. Well, I probably won't be back to visit Fairy Tail any time soon, maybe not even before the Grand Magic Games," Natsu thought aloud. "How about as soon as I officially claim the throne? If I invited you as soon as I found it, there's no guarantee that they'd let you in."

"How long will that take?" Mira asked.

"Well...it'll take about nine days to walk to Blue Pegasus, I'll probably stay there for a few days depending on how long Hibiki needs, and then I'll start looking for the throne. That could take anywhere from a week to a month, and then after that…"  
"Just give us a guess, Natsu…" Mira sighed.

"Two to three months, give or take," Natsu answered.

"That's a long time, but I suppose we'll have to deal with that," Lisanna sighed. "So what are you going to get us when we come visit?"  
"I'm supposed to get you something?" Natsu questioned incredulously.  
"Natsu, you left us all alone at this guild and aren't seeing us for several months," Lisanna scolded. "You need to make it up to us."

"How does that make any sense?"

"Because it does. I'm the wife so I get to make the decisions," Lisanna reasoned. "Isn't that right, Happy?"

"Aye, mama!" Happy agreed.

Natsu just mumbled something about confusing women.

"Now, now, Natsu, you can't forget about me," Mira commented.  
"You are both equally as confusing."


End file.
